Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has fired back at Ralf Rangnick following the Austrian manager's bewilderment with the club not issuing German training lessons to its non-German players.
Last week after Austria's game against Ghana, Rangnick expressed his perplexion at Chukwuemeka not being able to speak German despite playing in the Bundesliga.
The Dortmund midfielder made his international debut for Das Team in the match and even scored a goal but his poor language skills appeared to irk Rangnick, who urged Dortmund to hold regular German classes for their players.
Now, BVB manager Kovac has hit back at the former Manchester United honcho, asserting that in a globalized world, speaking multiple languages has become the norm, even in other sports.
""We’re an international club. We live in a global world. As a coach, it’s all about speaking different languages. We use English a lot here. That’s perfectly normal in basketball, and in handball too.""said Kovac
Rangnick also spoke of how German sides such as RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim conduct German classes at least thrice a week for foreign players to help them settle into the squad. He further added that missing those classes would be treated as missing their training, highlighting the urgency with which certain clubs approach the language challenge.
But Kovac empathized with the players and their difficulty in learning a new language after moving to a new country while also emphasizing that language barrier is not an issue within the Dortmund squad despite their unforgiving schedule not letting their players devote enough time to learn German.
""Football is becoming increasingly international. So it’s no problem at all for us. Everyone tries to learn the language of the country where they’re working. That’s not easy, especially when you’re playing every third day. How are you supposed to find the time to put in the necessary hours for learning? We communicate very well; everyone makes themselves understood.""added Kovac
Born in Austria to Nigerian parents, Chukwuemeka played for England at various youth levels which explains his fluency in English. He also represented Premier League sides Aston Villa and Chelsea before sailing across the shore to join Borussia Dortmund in 2024.
Now that he's committed his international career to Austria, a German-speaking nation, perhaps the player would be compelled to learn the language going forward. Chukwuemeka is set to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the side, who qualified for the first time since 1998.