2. Bundesliga: "It was stupid": Schalke's Barkok regrets insulting fan

Schalke professional footballer Aymen Barkok has publicly apologized after his vicious online insult against a fan. "Dear Schalke fans, I would like to apologize to all of you. Especially to the fan I responded to directly. What I wrote was stupid. I'm ashamed of it," the attacker wrote on Instagram .

Barkok (26), who was signed from FC Schalke 04 in the winter, insulted a fan of the second division club in a Snapchat direct message: "Get the hell out of my snap, you dick. If you don't like it." Screenshots of this were shared on social media sites and widely commented on.

This is what happened: Immediately after the second division team's 1:2 defeat at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, in which he did not play a single minute, Barkok posted a photo of his feet in football boots and wrote: "Flawless".

One fan angrily commented, saying: "If you post something like that after a loss, you should get out of my club. Can't everyone get their act together and then post something like that? I don't know if that's necessary." The former German junior international responded emotionally.

"I'm truly sorry. That's not usually my style. I know how important togetherness is, especially at Schalke. And I know I have a lot to make up for," Barkok wrote. The former Bundesliga player with Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 announced that he would visit Noah's Ark in Gelsenkirchen in the coming days and support the social institution with a donation.

The incident likely further diminished Barkok's chances of a future at Schalke beyond the summer. From a sporting perspective, the signing of the 18-time Moroccan international, who is only under contract until the end of the season, has so far failed to pay off for either side.

"I came to Schalke to fight and give everything for the club," wrote Barkok: "The fact that I can't show what I expected of myself in terms of sport really annoys me."

© dpa-infocom, dpa:250428-930-472186/1