Gladbach Fines and Demotes Florian Neuhaus After Viral Insult Video

Borussia Mönchengladbach has fined midfielder Florian Neuhaus and reassigned him to the club’s under-23 squad for four weeks after a video circulated online in which the player mocked the Bundesliga side and insulted sporting director Roland Virkus.

In the 11-second clip, believed to have been filmed at Mallorca’s Ballermann party strip, the 28-year-old former Germany international calls Virkus the “worst manager in the world” while joking about receiving “one, two, three, four million” euros in salary. Neuhaus appears in the footage wearing a hat and sunglasses alongside supporters in Gladbach shirts.

Managing Director Stefan Stegemann said the remarks were “vereinsschädigend und inakzeptabel” (damaging to the club and unacceptable) and confirmed that the sanction includes a “high” monetary penalty, though the amount was not disclosed. The disciplinary move sidelines the team’s vice-captain for most of pre-season after a campaign in which he featured in only 18 league matches and the club finished 10th in the Bundesliga.