Wembangomo became the topic when the Glimt coach met the press on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Europa League meeting with PSV Eindhoven. Wembangomo lost the ball before Rosenborg scored the winning goal in the 3-2 win against Glimt in the Eliteserien on Sunday. After the match, the Glimt player was far down. When asked how to build a player up after such an episode, Knutsen addressed the defender’s situation. – He experiences incitement and bullying online, and also what comes into his phone. It is incredibly disappointing. We cannot accept that. We have to stand up for him, said a clearly committed Knutsen. This is not the first time Wembangomo has been subjected to incitement. Last year, a Start supporter was punished for racist chants at the defender, when he played for Sandefjord. – I had actually thought better of those who support Glimt. I thought they had more generosity, he continued. See the entire press conference here. Knutsen said that Wembangomo is one of the players with the biggest X-factor in the squad. – He can create imbalance from behind. Maybe we trust him so much that we put him in difficult positions so that he loses the ball, said the Glimt coach and added: – In addition, he is best at right back. I’m the one who put him on the left. He then revealed that Wembangomo is currently injured and will not play Thursday’s game against PSV. Knutsen also said that the harassment the Glimt profile has experienced has not appeared now. – It is something that has been going on over time, said the Glimt boss. A LOT OF TRUST: Brice Wembangomo has gained a lot of trust for Glimt, and has occasionally impressed outside Europe as well. Here in a duel with Arsenal’s Marquinhos when the teams met in London in October. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB Bloody unfair Knutsen claims he himself is “an illiterate” in social media. Now he gives the players clear advice. – My advice to the players is not to be there. It is simply a disturbing factor, said the successful coach, who is keen to take care of his own players as well as possible. – We in Glimt stand together whether we win or lose. What has happened around him (Wembangomo) is bloody unfair. There is a lack of expertise. I hope this is a pointer to the fact that we have to take care of each other, because this has not been good, Knutsen said. Captain Patrick Berg also believes that there is now reason to speak out forcefully. – Everyone agrees that there will be criticism of us as individual players and teams. That’s how it should be in football. There should be opinions, and there should be discussions, and people should be allowed to speak up if they disagree with something, he said – and continued: – But now, like Kjetil, I feel that we have reached a point where we have to say that this is not how we want it to be around our own players and employees from our own supporters. What other supporters do, others have to do. Bodø/Glimt has learned a lot from the seasons of European Cup games. Hear more in the last episode of “Ekko – community podcast”: Destiny match Bodø/Glimt will be either third or fourth in the Europa League’s group A. To be sure of keeping third place, which gives a playoff for the right to a place in the league’s cup round, only victory good enough for Kjetil Knutsen’s crew. Fourth-placed Zürich, with Ole Kristian Selnæs in the squad, has one point less than Glimt before the last round of matches. The Swiss club finish the group stage against Arsenal. If there is a loss there, Glimt are ready for the series league game regardless of the result at Aspmyra on Thursday. Should both Glimt and Zürich end up on four points, Glimt will, by all indications, be ahead on better goal difference overall. Between themselves, the clubs are completely equal. You can follow the match between Glimt and PSV here, or listen live on news Sport from 21.00 on Thursday:
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Brice Wembangomo in Bodø/Glimt exposed to incitement over a long period of time. Kjetil Knutsen reacts – news Nordland
