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German Hockey Men Can't Forget the Ugly Outburst of Dutchman Duco Telgenkamp
Even in their long Parisian night out, the German hockey men couldn't quite forget the anger caused by Dutchman Duco Telgenkamp's unsportsmanlike behavior. "I won't be demanding a suspension," said head coach André Henning the day after the heated finale: "That's not my job. The public criticism he's facing now is harsh enough."
Online, Telgenkamp had already apologized for his inappropriate behavior, Henning said. But this hadn't happened personally the night before. "I can imagine Duco got carried away in the heat of the moment. It was certainly over the top, but the hockey world won't end because of it," said Henning.
After the final between Germany and the Netherlands (1:3 in the penalty shootout), the 22-year-old Telgenkamp showed himself to be a poor loser. He stood in front of German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg and put his finger over his mouth. Then, he touched the keeper's helmet. This action led to a scuffle and verbal exchanges between several players from both teams.
Telgenkamp had previously scored the decisive penalty for the Netherlands' Olympic victory, leaving the German world champions with silver. Despite this, the team celebrated with fans in a downtown bar.
Dutchman Slammed on Social Media
"Seems like a lot of fuses blew there. My sincere condolences for such unsportsmanlike behavior," said Danneberg: "The fans booed him when he received the medal. It doesn't get much worse than that."
Telgenkamp seemed surprised to be booed loudly during the medal ceremony. "That must have hurt him," said 40-year-old Henning. After all, he had ruined the greatest moment of his career all by himself. The Dutchman was also heavily criticized on social media for his misconduct.
Telgenkamp's action was sparked by Danneberg's statements before the final of the two arch-rivals. "We're going in with a really broad chest because I think the Dutch are really scared of us," the German goalkeeper had said. Telgenkamp and his teammates felt provoked by this.
"I shouldn't have done that, it was the emotions," Telgenkamp said remorsefully. "It wasn't very smart of me to go back to the goalkeeper. I mean, we won, and then I shouldn't have let myself go like that."
After Telgenkamp's apology, the ugly incident seems to be largely forgotten by the German team, and there are no signs of a penalty from the international federation. "We'll also be able to put this behind us and forgive the Dutch. We did congratulate them, after all," said Henning.
Men's Hockey Team Aims for Next Gold
After the bitter defeat, the team now faces a sporting turnover. "Certainly, the careers of important players will end. That means the story of this specific team is now over, with a dramatic, sad final chapter," said Henning. Forward Niklas Wellen is likely to retire from the national team, and other experienced players may follow. "We'll attack again at the home EM next summer and also look ahead to LA," said the head coach.
Of course, they will also try to repeat their last Olympic victory from 2012 at the upcoming Summer Games in Los Angeles in four years. "This will still bother the guys for weeks, months, or even until their last day - missing out on gold," said Henning: "But ultimately, we've made an incredible journey." After all, within 18 months, the German team won the World Cup final in India and narrowly missed out on the ultimate goal at Olympia.
Despite the apology from Dutchman Duco Telgenkamp, his actions during the final against Germany at Olympia were heavily criticized by both German fans and the public on social media. Germany, led by head coach André Henning, has since moved on from the incident and expressed their willingness to forgive the Dutch team, as they look forward to the next chapter in their men's hockey journey, aiming to repeat their Olympic victory in Los Angeles in 2028, following their World Cup victory in India in 2018.
