Nmecha defends his crown goal celebration, calls it a 'misunderstanding'

Felix Nmecha scores, takes an invisible crown off his head, kneels and lays it on the grass. Now the Dortmund midfielder and Germany international has explained what he means by it. His answer: you've got it wrong.

What did Nmecha say?

In an Instagram story, Nmecha said the celebration had led to misunderstandings. "With my celebration I want to put neither myself nor any organisation in the spotlight," he wrote. For him, it is about laying down his "crown" before the soon-to-come king and pointing to Jesus, his hope and his strength.

His message was never meant to promote "intolerance, discrimination or hate in any form", he added. As Christians, he wrote, the message is one of love and respect for everyone, no matter where they come from or what they believe. He closed with the Bible verse John 3:16.

What he didn't do: explicitly distance himself from evangelical networks or religious organisations.

Why is it such a big deal?

The gesture is linked to the campaign "The King's Return", which is close to the evangelical network "Ballers in God". Founded in 2015, it is a network of Christian footballers that spreads many such campaigns on social media. According to research by the ARD magazine "Monitor" (public broadcaster ARD's investigative show), homosexuality was portrayed in that circle as "sin" and abortion as "Satan's plan".

Nmecha has been criticised before. He once shared an Instagram image that linked the word "Pride" to the devil. He has repeatedly rejected accusations of discrimination. At the World Cup he also drew attention: after scoring in the 7:1 win over Curaçao he used the crown gesture, then prayed on the pitch with opposing players and teammate Jonathan Tah.

On Sunday, Dortmund's official fan and supporters' department (Fan- und Förderabteilung) hit out at him. It said you can't dismiss it as "merely private religious practice" when a pro's reach is used "deliberately for missionary work". "Where religious beliefs are used to deny people their dignity or equal worth, our tolerance for intolerance ends," it said. It asked him to distance himself from such networks.

What's next?

The club announced a conversation with Nmecha. Germany coach Jürgen Klopp also spoke with him at the national team's base in Herzogenaurach, according to the news agency dpa. What was said hasn't been made public.

Nmecha last used the gesture on Saturday, after his goals in Dortmund's 2:1 win over SV Elversberg.