The German club, Hertha Berlin, have suspended Ivory Coast star, Salomon Kalou, for disobeying COVID-19 social distancing rules.

The former Chelsea star shook hands with his teammates and had appeared to have made light of the COVID-19 pandemic after he posted a “Corona song” live on his Facebook account.

Kalou flouted the rules when teams in the German top two divisions went for COVID-19 tests as plans get on the way for the resumption of the Bundesliga.
The player filmed himself disrupting a teammate’s test and streamed it live on the social media platform.

Hertha in a statement, have, however, described the act as “absolutely unacceptable” and noted that it does not reflect the club’s stand especially in the face of a pandemic.

“Salomon Kalou was tempted by his negative test results to greet the other players in the dressing room, sometimes with a handshake, contrary to the clear announcements made by health authorities,” the club said in a statement on its website.

“With his ‘Corona Song’, Kalou gave the impression that he is not aware of the extent of the ongoing pandemic.

“With this video taken inside the team’s dressing room, Kalou broke clear internal rules and displayed a behaviour, which is neither appropriate for this current situation, nor reflective of the code of conduct of Hertha BSC.”

According to the statement, the “club has, therefore, made the decision to suspend the player in question from training and matches with immediate effect.”

Also speaking, the General Manager, Michael Preetz said Kalou’s behaviour is a great damage to the club and has “created the impression that individual players are not taking the issue of coronavirus seriously, in a time of great discussion on the resumption of football and the role of the professional game.”