Kovac reveals Guirassy has apologised for substitution handshake snub

Niko Kovac has revealed that Serhou Guirassy has personally apologised for his behaviour following his substitution in Borussia Dortmund’s win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Serhou Guirassy left no doubt that he unhappy after being substituted around the hour mark in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, refusing to shake coach Niko Kovac’s hand and storming to the bench in anger.

However, there is no bad blood between the two, as Kovac confirmed at a press conference on Monday that Guirassy has since apologised for the incident.

“We discussed it like adults right after the game. He then came to me on his own and apologised to me personally, as well as to the team,” Kovac told reporters.

“He knows that he didn’t react properly there. That is what matters to me,” he added.

Kovac noted that in “the heat of the moment and with the adrenaline, such things can happen”, but added: “It shouldn’t. There’s a shared belief in the team that something like this isn’t constructive – no matter who it is.”

The coach also made it clear that Guirassy still has his full support, even if the striker has struggled to find the net consistently in recent weeks.

“He depends on his teammates, on the players around him who can feed him the ball. If we manage together to get him back into the situations where he is most dangerous, namely in the box, then he will also score the goals we need,” Kovac said.

“He has already scored many goals, but we are hoping for even more. I stand by my statement: I will support him. Every team needs a top striker in their ranks. BVB certainly have one in him, which is why we want to continue working with him.”

After their 2-1 win at the weekend, Guirassy and Dortmund face Bayer Leverkusen again on Tuesday, this time in the DFB-Pokal.