Fans of the Netherlands and Germany engaged in an online brawl as Dutch player Duco Telgenkamp shushed the German goalkeeper after scoring the winning penalty that helped the Netherlands win the gold.
When the Netherlands won the dramatic finale of the Olympics hockey final, German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg was sitting in despair as 22-year-old Telgenkamp came in front of him and signaled him to shut his mouth. He was apparently responding to Danneberg’s pre-match remarks, in which he stated that Dutch players were “really scared” to face Germans in the Hockey final.
Other Dutch players were celebrating their victory, while Germans were full of disappointment when they saw Telgenkamp shushing Danneberg. German players tried to come to their goalie’s rescue as other Dutch players tried to calm them down. Meanwhile, Telgenkamp was later seen putting his hand on the throat of German player Niklas Wellen.
The intensity of the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw during the allocated time and was forced into a shootout, which was won by the Netherlands, made the players even more emotional.
Telgenkamp’s signals did not sit well with fans watching the intense final sitting at the edge of their seats, as they took to social media to express their frustration and disappointment. Most of them called out Telgenkamp’s action and suggested that he should have focused on his own success instead of celebrating others’ loss.
One fan wrote on Reddit that the Netherlands preferred to be “sore winner” instead of lifting the title with “dignity.”
Another fan accused the Dutchmen of being “privileged brats” who were engaged in embarrassing behavior.
Others schooled Telgenkamp, stating that the goalkeeper was already feeling bad and there was no need to taunt him further at a time when you could have celebrated your own achievement.
As the situation cooled down, Telgenkamp looked back at the incident and tried to defend his actions while also being sorry about them. He stated that he “regret(s)” and “apologize(s)” for his behavior, which he should have avoided in the first place. However, the Dutch star also noted that he was a “bit offended” by Danneberg’s pre-match comments, which “affected him personally.”
The German goalkeeper later said that Telgenkamp’s actions were one of the most disrespectful things he has ever faced.