Afolayan's attack on Blessin
Oladapo Afolayan didn't want to join in the general celebration following FC St. Pauli's relegation on Saturday. While his teammates sing the praises of the club's progress under Alexander Blessin, the Englishman openly criticizes the coach. A shared future seems hardly conceivable.
Unhappy with his playing time: St. Pauli's Oladapo Afolayan. IMAGO/Lobeca
Tensions between the previous season's promotion hero and the new coach in the summer had arisen right at the start of the season, as Blessin had initially moved away from the winger role and had repeatedly called on Afolayan to play more defensively. The 27-year-old had since regained his place and ultimately made 32 Bundesliga appearances.
But he only made 17 starts – and after the 2-0 defeat to Bochum, he made it clear that he felt the playing time was too little and the criticism too much. "It's been a shitty six months, to be honest. I didn't feel like I was getting the playing time I deserved. And when I did play, I wasn't valued as much as I should have been."
We have to try to win games and not just not lose them.
Afolayan not only criticizes him for not playing enough, but also says, more than vaguely, that he doesn't approve of the coach's style, with its emphasis on off-the-ball work. "I think we have to try to win games, not just not lose them." This is an attack against the coach, who enjoys a high reputation within the team, the entire club, and long since throughout the entire industry. Afolayan, however, believes: "We achieved the minimum. My personal goal was to finish better than 14th. We could have achieved what Heidenheim achieved last season."
One thing is clear: With this view, the winger not only deviates from the general view of St. Pauli, where staying in the league is considered just as significant an event as last year's promotion, but he also violates a code of conduct. The question of whether he is doing this consciously is almost begging in view of his statement about his personal future.
Is Afolayan preparing his departure?At a time when the local club, like other clubs, no longer publishes contract terms, he says: "I still have a year left on my contract, but of course I'm not happy with how things are going here. We'll have serious discussions and see what happens. A lot will change anyway." With this last sentence, he suggests that key players may be about to leave. Afolayan himself is clearly also looking to leave.
