It is not known what words Rune Jarstein, goalkeeper at Hertha BSC since 2014, addressed to his goalkeeping coach. But the criticism must have been so harsh that the club had to react sharply. Managing Director Fredi Bobic finds the Norwegian’s language “completely wrong”.
Goalkeeper Rune Jarstein is about to leave after eight years at Hertha BSC. The Norwegian goalkeeper was suspended after a dispute with goalkeeper coach Andreas Menger, and he was not in the squad for the 1-1 draw in Berlin in the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. “Something happened that is not on the agenda. It was a bit more intense. We had a conversation on Friday. After the conversation we took Rune out of the squad for the reasons of what the conversation was like and how it went is,” said Managing Director Fredi Bobic.
Jarstein’s contract expires in 2023. It is possible that the 37-year-old goalkeeper will agree with the Berliners on a termination of the contract or a transfer. “I can’t say it in that form yet. I addressed it with the advisor and with Rune himself, how to deal with each other and what words to choose. You can be critical, but the tonality and the language were completely wrong,” said Bobic. There has not yet been a reaction from Jarstein on the subject. Jarstein came to Berlin in 2014 and was number 1 at Hertha for a long time.
“It’s a shame because it hits a person who’s been here a long time and it doesn’t go unnoticed,” said Bobic. Jarstein played his last Bundesliga game in March 2021 in a 3-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen. Shortly thereafter, he returned from an international match with a severe corona infection and had to be treated in hospital for heart muscle inflammation. A knee injury later threw him back. This summer he celebrated his comeback in the Hertha goal in a friendly at SV Babelsberg 03.
Jarstein was supposed to act as a backup for Oliver Christensen (23) this season. In Tjark Ernst (19) and Robert Kwasigroch (18), the Berliners still have two young goalkeepers in their professional squad.
