Once again the issue of 'management' has come under scrutiny. Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi is at the center of growing controversy after a video showing him undergoing high-intensity combat training was released.
German tabloid Bild reported on the 24th (Korean time) that Adeyemi conducted combat training at a location other than the club's official training ground. In the video he trained with UFC fighter Islam Dulatov, and with Mohamed Roky he even did ground sparring. It was not a simple conditioning session. It continued as a high-intensity session focused on grappling and physical confrontation.
It is not unusual to incorporate fighting elements into conditioning. It is also regarded as effective for strengthening strength, core stability and explosiveness. In fact, many professional players undertake similar training in the offseason. The issue is the 'intensity' and 'management.'
According to the report, Dortmund did not know about the training. The position conveyed was, "The club knows nothing about this." Even if the training took place during the player's personal time, contact training that carries a high risk of injury is a sensitive matter. That is especially true given Adeyemi's history of hamstring and ankle injuries.
The timing is also peculiar. The team is in the midst of the latter part of the league schedule and is also competing in the Champions League. The loss of a key resource immediately translates into a drain on strength. That is why questions are being raised about where the boundary of management responsibility lies and whether communication between the club and the player was appropriate.
Moreover, Adeyemi had a problem last summer during his vacation for possessing weapons. While staying in Greece, Adeyemi asked an acquaintance who was trying to join him from Germany to bring a parcel from his home, but the acquaintance accidentally brought a 'mystery box' Adeyemi had bought on TikTok.
The problem was that the box contained three knives, two brass knuckles, a folding police baton, stun equipment, two ski masks and other weapons. The box was detected at an airport security checkpoint, and police analyzed the acquaintance's phone to confirm a connection to Adeyemi. The previously mentioned "stun gun" did not appear in the actual police records.
In the end the Hagen prosecutor sought a criminal order, and Adeyemi was fined a total of 450,000 euros (about 760 million won). This issue also caused unnecessary ripples during the German national team's World Cup qualifying preparations. As a result, he was unable to play in the match against Slovakia.
Adeyemi is a talent with outstanding speed and breakthrough ability. But talent alone is not enough. What is required at the professional level is self-management alongside performance. A mystery box or combat training might help performance. But if they involve risk, the story changes.
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