Professional soccer player Felix Nmecha has defended his controversial goal celebration, insisting that his faith is about inclusion and not exclusion. “With my celebration, I don’t want to put myself or any organization in the foreground. Rather, it’s about laying down my ‘crown’ before the coming king and pointing to Jesus, my hope and my strength,” Nmecha wrote in an Instagram story. “My message was never meant to promote intolerance, discrimination, or hate in any form.”
After Nmecha’s repeated crown-kneeling gesture—where he imagines taking off an invisible crown and placing it on his knees on the grass—a new debate flared up. The gesture is tied to the campaign “The King’s Return,” which is associated with the evangelical network “Ballers in God.”
“Ballers in God” is a network of Christian soccer players founded in 2015, which captures and shares many such actions across social media. In the past, Nmecha faced criticism for queerphobic evangelical content circulating online.
Fan and Supporters Department of BVB Criticized the Celebration
The 26-year-old stressed in his statement: “As Christians, our message is one of love and respect for every person, regardless of where they come from, what they believe, or which worldview they hold.” He concluded by quoting John 3:16: “For God so loved the world.”
On Sunday, Borussia Dortmund’s fan and supporters department sharply criticized Nmecha and the network “Ballers in God,” because the pro repeated the gesture after his goals in the 2–1 victory over SV Elversberg (Queer.de reported). In response to the fans’ criticism, Borussia Dortmund announced it would hold a conversation with Nmecha. National team coach Jürgen Klopp reportedly spoke with the 26-year-old at the national team camp in Herzogenaurach, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Content or details of the discussion have not been disclosed.
Already at the World Cup last summer, the issue had sparked controversy after Nmecha celebrated his goal in Germany’s 7–1 win over Curaçao in a way tied to his faith and then prayed on the field with opposing players in Houston after the match (Queer.de reported).
Years of Criticism of Nmecha
In the past, Felix Nmecha had repeatedly linked his faith to expressions that rejected queer people. In 2023, the player shared a video by an American right-wing extremist who mocked a transgender child and the child’s father (Queer.de reported). After the criticism, Nmecha defended his transphobic stance (Queer.de reported). Later, he even posted another Instagram message that compared the queer community and the term “Pride” to the devil (Queer.de reported). Some Dortmund supporters called for not signing Nmecha on the basis of these queerphobic outbursts, but the club ignored the concerns and has kept him on the roster (Queer.de reported). The DFB also stood behind Nmecha during this year’s World Cup (Queer.de reported). The Queer Football Fan Clubs network urged the federation in June to take a clear stance: homophobic beliefs have no place in sport (Queer.de reported).
