Union Berlin Suspend Chelsea Loanee David Datro Fofana Following Furious Reaction to Being Subbed Off

Union Berlin have hit Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana with a suspension following his furious reaction to being subbed off in the side’s Champions League defeat to Napoli.

The 20-year-old, who once again failed to register a goal or an assist for the German club, was withdrawn in the 70th minute of Tuesday’s 1-0 home loss to the Italian champions.

As he made his way past manager Urs Fischer, he refused to shake the head coach’s outstretched hand or even make eye contact and there was a brief coming together between the two.

Fofana appeared to be in tears at one point on the bench and a number of players and staff – including sporting director Oliver Ruhnert – tried to calm him down.

Fofana Handed One-Week Ban

The youngster, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Molde last January, issued an apology the following day but that has not spared him from being reprimanded by Union Berlin.

Fofana has been handed a one-week ban for his outburst after being subbed off and will not be considered for selection against either Werder Bremen at the weekend or Tuesday’s German Cup tie against Stuttgart.

He will also train separately from the first-team squad for the duration of his suspension, before rejoining team training on Wednesday 1 November.

The decision to reprimand Fofana was confirmed by Union Berlin spokesman Christian Arbeit, with manager Fischer saying: ‘Football is a team sport, you have to fit in and sometimes put yourself second. We hope that he learns from this.’

Fofana Apologises for Outburst

Fofana had issued an apology to his manager on Wednesday, writing on social media: ‘Following my behaviour during my exit from the field, I wanted to apologise to the club, the coach, my team-mates and the supporters.

‘This gesture was not intended and in no way does it represent my attitude, all this was generated as a result of frustration because I wanted to continue helping the team to obtain a positive result.

‘We will continue to work and come back even stronger in the championship and in this great competition.’

Miserable Start to Loan Spell

Fofana’s suspension compounds a miserable start to his loan spell in Berlin, with the forward now having gone 11 appearances – and 567 minutes of action – without managing to score or assist for his loan club.

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