Striker Silas Wamangituka has apologized after angering a rival and being booked for impudently pausing on the goalline before scoring in a German football match, with many fans insisting that he did not deserve a yellow card.
The controversial episode took place in the dying minutes of Stuttgart’s Bundesliga clash against Werder Bremen on Sunday, when Wamangituka intercepted a back pass from Bremen’s Omer Toprak and sauntered towards the empty goal to seal victory for his side.
The 21-year-old was in no hurry to hit the back of the net, making goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka chase him before finally firing the ball into the net.
Wamangituka’s hilarious finish infuriated Bremen forward Davie Selke, who interrupted his celebrations in a heated confrontation before the referee brandished a yellow card to the scorer for a lack of sportsmanship.
Silas Wamangituka with one of the most disrespectful finishes you’re ever likely to see ??? pic.twitter.com/d3vw9oLOnj
That’s on the other team for not hustling back or even trying. You can’t give a card for that.
Yellow card for what ???
“I think that was disrespectful – there is no need to beat around the bush,” an angry Selke said after the match.
“The boy had a good game. He should have just put the ball in after such an individual mistake by us and been happy about his second goal.”
Wamangituka had already scored a penalty after half an hour at Werder’s Weserstadion, meaning Selke’s 93rd-minute reply for the hosts was no more than a consolation.
no joke? It would have been way more disrespectful if he would have rolled the ball into the net with his head. There are way more disrespectful things in football that are not talked about.
“I have respect for my opponent at every stage of the game,” Wamangituka told his following of more than 21,000 on Instagram afterwards, offering his “most sincere apologies to Werder Bremen and all those who felt upset.”
“With my second goal, I wanted to buy time for my team in this important game. Under no circumstances did I want to provoke the Bremen goalkeeper and my opponent.”
DR Congo forward Wamangituka is considered one of the Bundesliga’s brightest prospects, helping Stuttgart to eighth in the table with five goals in ten appearances so far this season.
