Borussia Monchengladbach coach Heiko Vogel ordered to coach women as punishment

Gladbach’s under-23 coach Heiko Vogel was sanctioned for unsporting behaviour

Heiko Vogel is a German football coach (Getty)

A Borussia Monchengladbach coach was ordered to taking charge of women’s training sessions as punishment for abusing officials. 

Gladbach’s under-23 coach Heiko Vogel was sanctioned for unsporting behaviour towards a referee and his assistants during a youth match in January.

The West German Football Association (WDFV), one of the five regional governing bodies in the country, issued a two-match ban and a €1,500 fan, according to ESPN, and ordered Vogel to coach a women’s or girls’ team for six sessions by 30 June.

It is unclear if the punishment was intended to relate to the offence, which involved two female assistant referees. 

The move was criticised by Women in Football Network’s Nicole Selmer, who told ESPN: “This punishment for the Gladbach coach puts coaching a women's team on a level with social work. But it's not like that. Women's football is a sport, and those who participate in it are as professional as their male counterparts.”

Vogel began his coaching career in the Bayern Munich academy. The German managed Swiss side Basel to a league and cup double in 2011-12, and won the Austrian Cup with Sturm Graz in 2017-18 before returning to Bayern’s academy. He joined Gladbach’s youth setup last summer.

The WDFV did not comment on what it says is an ongoing case.