"Thought You Were in Germany?!" Star SHOCKED, Faces HUGE Penalty!

Strasbourg's Rising Star Benched After "Germany" Gaffe

"Thought You Were in Germany?!" Star SHOCKED, Face...

Well, things are getting a little awkward over at Strasbourg. The Ligue 1 club has reportedly slapped a fine on Dutch forward Emmanuel Emegha, and benched him for at least one match, all stemming from some rather unfortunate comments the young player made recently. And to make matters even more interesting, Emegha is apparently Chelsea-bound at the end of the season, adding another layer to this whole situation. Honestly, you almost feel a little bad for the guy, but then again, professional athletes are expected to, you know, think before they speak.

What exactly did he say? According to reports, Emegha, who made the move from Sturm Graz last summer, told a Dutch newspaper that he actually "thought Strasbourg was in Germany" before signing with the club. Ouch. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of your new team, is it? But the supposed geography blunder wasn't the only thing raising eyebrows. Emegha also apparently suggested that his absence was the reason Strasbourg hadn't managed to snag wins against Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain this season. This followed a 2-0 victory against Lille in Ligue 1, a match in which he, admittedly, scored both goals. I mean, confidence is one thing, but this sounds like a hefty dose of hubris.

Now, club management isn't taking kindly to what they see as a negative attitude. Imagine being a coach and hearing your player say he thought your team was in the wrong country! Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior reportedly had a "talk" with Emegha about his attitude. And I suspect that talk was probably a little more than a friendly chat over coffee. I've seen those sorts of "discussions" play out; they're rarely pleasant. The fine and benching are clearly meant to send a message.

This is a real shame, because Emegha has been showing promise. He's notched four goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances and three goals in four UEFA Conference League matches this season. He’s clearly got talent, but talent alone doesn’t cut it. His absence will definitely be felt this weekend when Strasbourg faces Toulouse. It will be interesting to see how this affects the team's performance and, more importantly, how Emegha responds to this disciplinary action. Will he learn from this and come back stronger, or will this be the beginning of a downward spiral? Only time will tell.