Wolfsburg striker Max Kruse has been dropped from the Germany squad for friendlies against England and Italy after his recent off-field antics in Berlin. Germany coach Joachim Loew has insisted that the 28-year-old’s conduct has been poor with a string of behavioral incidents prompting Loew to drop the German.
Kruse was reported to have snatched the mobile phone of a lady taking photos of his 28th birthday celebration in a nightclub. He has since apologized for the incident but has been warned over his conduct from the DFB as well as Wolfsburg.
“I made it clear to Max Kruse last week what I expect from him, both on and off the field,” said Loew. “I want players who focus on football and the European Championship, even between matches.
“Last weekend’s incident goes against my expectations. Max has once again behaved unprofessionally and I don’t accept that.
Wolfsburg have also come out supporting Loew’s decision and the club’s sporting director was quoted as saying:
“We’ve told the Bundestrainer [Joachim Loew] that we are not happy with the run of events in recent weeks. The headlines were just too far away from the sporting side. The bottom line is that it was time to send a clear message to Max.”
