DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi faces being fined by the club for his emotional reaction to being substituted, sporting director Sebastian Kehl has said.
The German winger walked past the Dortmund bench and headed toward the locker room after being taken off in the 60th minute of his team's 2-0 Bundesliga win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday. Kehl was shown catching Adeyemi by the arm to prevent him from leaving as the pair exchanged words.
“I told him, ‘You’re not going to the locker room, sit down,' and to be honest the substitution was partly justified. Karim didn't have a good game,” Kehl told broadcaster Sky after the game.
“It just doesn't work like this. The coach makes a decision and the players need to accept that,” he added. “We don't want to see this reaction and so he'll get a fine for that."
Dortmund's win over Gladbach extended its unbeaten Bundesliga run to eight games and cut the gap to leader Bayern Munich to six points, though Bayern plays Sunday.
Despite that, the team's recent form across all competitions has been mixed. There were boos from the crowd at the end of a draw with Norway's Bodo/Glimt that left Dortmund 10th in the Champions League and a German Cup third-round loss at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.
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Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Dortmund, Germany, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
PHOENIX (AP) — UConn coach Geno Auriemma has apologized for his actions during a heated exchange with Dawn Staley at the end of the Huskies' loss to South Carolina in the women's Final Four.
A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 victory on Friday night and appeared to chastise her. Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.
“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut,” the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement on Saturday. “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
Staley said Saturday morning she was focused on the title game against UCLA on Sunday and not what happened a night earlier.
“For me, no distractions at this time. I'm concentrating on winning a national championship, that’s it,” Staley said. “That’s a little disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”
Staley added that she would address the issue at a later point.
After the loss, Auriemma said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused Friday night.
“I have no idea,” the South Carolina coach said after the game. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.
“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
According to the NCAA's policy in its operations manual for the tournament, after starting lineups are announced for both teams, the two coaches are directed to meet at midcourt and shake hands. Staley and Auriemma shook hands earlier in the pregame, but not after introductions, which irked Auriemma.
The women’s basketball committee always reviews issues that arise in the tournament after it concludes, the NCAA said.
South Carolina advanced to play UCLA in Sunday's title game. The Gamecocks are seeking their third championship in five seasons.
UConn and South Carolina are set to play each other in each of the next two seasons, with the first game in Connecticut.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game between UConn and South Carolina at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, center, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
