Thomas Ouwejan sanctioned after unacceptable behaviour following substitution

After being taken off in the 33rd minute, Ouwejan refused to shake Geraerts’ hand and got into an argument with the head coach on the sidelines. The defender has been ordered to pay a monetary fine and will spend the upcoming week training with the club’s U23s.

“I know that people sometimes react poorly when emotions are running high, but there’s a line of respect which cannot be crossed,” said Geraerts. “Having respect for the club, the fans, your teammates and the staff is extremely important to me. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour, which is why these sanctions are unavoidable.”

Sporting director André Hechelmann added: “If a player behaves like that after such a poor team performance, then that shows that he hasn’t understood the situation that we’re in. He should have let out all his energy on the pitch, rather than after being substituted.” Ouwejan already apologised to the board on Saturday evening and then again to the coach on Sunday.

“I was wrong to behave like I did after being subbed off. I’ve personally apologised to Karel Geraerts and André Hechelmann and I’m really pleased that they accepted my apology. They know me and they know that I’m not normally like that,” said Ouwejan. “I wanted to help the team to get back into the game, but unfortunately I didn’t manage that. It was a frustrating situation, but I never should have reacted so emotionally, so I’d like to apologise to all Schalke fans.”