Felix Nmecha responds to Dortmund supporters over goal celebration

Felix Nmecha has rejected suggestions that his goal celebrations are intended to encourage discrimination, responding on Tuesday to criticism from Borussia Dortmund's official supporters' department. According to Associated Press, the Dortmund and Germany midfielder said on Instagram that the gesture expressed his Christian faith rather than support for an organisation.

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Nmecha explained that he was symbolically offering a crown to Jesus and said his beliefs called for respect for people regardless of their background or worldview. His response followed a statement in which supporters challenged his public association with the campaign known as The King's Return.

Sportschau reported that Nmecha repeated the celebration after scoring in Dortmund's 2-1 victory over SV Elversberg. The gesture involves removing an imaginary crown and kneeling to place it on the pitch. The broadcaster linked it to the campaign associated with Ballers in God, a network of Christian footballers established in 2015.

In its statement published on Sunday, the BVB fan and support department explicitly distinguished its objections from criticism of Nmecha's religion. It said people should be free to practise and publicly express their beliefs, but opposed networks that demean or exclude others over sexual orientation, gender identity or personal choices.

The department cited investigations by ARD's MONITOR programme and Sportschau into material associated with the network's outreach. It also highlighted the influence professional players have on children and young people, arguing that using that audience to spread exclusionary messages could not be treated simply as a matter of private faith.

The supporters' statement reaffirmed that LGBTQ members and fans belonged at Dortmund. It identified the club's code of core values as its reference point and said representatives had already held several discussions on the subject in recent months. The department pledged to continue challenging exclusion justified on religious grounds.

Dortmund has announced plans to speak with Nmecha, Sportschau reported. The broadcaster also cited DPA's reporting that Germany coach Jürgen Klopp had already discussed the issue with him at the national team's Herzogenaurach base. Details of that conversation had not been disclosed.