Jens Castro, a dual South Korean and German citizen who switched his national team affiliation to South Korea last year, was involved in a heated confrontation with a teammate during training.
According to reports, Castro became furious after Lukas Ulrich committed a rough tackle during a practice session. The argument escalated into a physical altercation, but other teammates quickly intervened to separate the two players and defuse the situation.
German major newspaper *Bild* reported on Tuesday (local time) that “a problem occurred at Borussia Mönchengladbach’s training ground,” adding that “the training atmosphere became tense, and the biggest commotion was between Jens Castro and Lukas Ulrich.”
*Bild* noted that “the two players nearly came to blows after a rough tackle, forcing teammates Tim Kleindienst and Joe Scally to step in and break them up.” The report indicated that the conflict between Castro and Ulrich could have turned physical.
According to *Bild*, Castro charged at Ulrich immediately after the incident, shouting, “What are you doing? You fouled me. Shut up!”
Coach Eugen Polanski, who witnessed the clash between Castro and Ulrich, was furious and halted the training session. Polanski reportedly yelled: “During the match against Augsburg, you only complained. Here, you’re trying to kill each other?”
Mönchengladbach had just lost 3-1 to Augsburg in the league over the weekend and were preparing for their final match of the season against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
*Bild* reported that after the situation calmed down, Polanski said, “It was a normal training session with good intensity and quality. There was just a small friction. This is perfectly normal,” and did not further reprimand Castro or Ulrich. Friction between players during training is common.
Recently, a similar incident occurred at Real Madrid, where Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde got into a physical fight during training. Valverde hit his head on a desk while falling and suffered concussion symptoms. Compared to that case, the clash between Castro and Ulrich, which did not escalate into a full-blown fight, is relatively minor and should pass without lasting consequences.
Mönchengladbach has no time to dwell on minor player disputes. With only one win in their last six league matches (three draws, two losses), the team is focused on winning their final home game of the season to finish on a positive note. If Mönchengladbach wins their last league match, they could finish as high as tenth place depending on other results.
