Mario Gomez was upset by Eintracht Braunschweig supporters singling him out in the relegation-promotion playoffs and said he was made to feel "like a criminal."
Wolfsburg twice beat local rivals Braunschweig 1-0 after finishing third-from-bottom in the Bundesliga and getting the chance to secure another year of top-flight football in the German relegation-promotion playoffs.
Last Thursday, Gomez helped his side to win the first leg 1-0 with a controversial penalty, and later claimed that it was "all the nicer" to get a spot-kick in an important tie after "not getting five during the season."
Grüße aus Wolfsburg! �� #nächstesaisonwiedergutkick ���� pic.twitter.com/IweqzzGLt7
- VfL Wolfsburg (@VfL_Wolfsburg) May 30, 2017
On Monday night, Braunschweig supporters greeted Gomez -- and the rest of the Wolfsburg team -- with hostility and throughout the match were derogatory about the Germany international's mother.
The home fans also injured a steward when throwing a banger onto the tracks right before the start of the second half. Once Braunschweig's dream of making the top flight ended with the final whistle, the supporters invaded the pitch and tried to get to the away end. Wolfsburg were forced to celebrate their success inside the dressing room.
Speaking to reporters postmatch, Gomez said of the Braunschweig supporters' behaviour: "I felt like a criminal after the first leg. All of Germany believed that Braunschweig were the superior side that day, but they only had one shot on goal. It wasn't easy today, also for me."
Although he claimed not to care about the chants directed at him, Gomez also voiced a general unease with the situation.
"I don't have any use for the hatred in a football stadium. I play this sport because I love football," he said. "Everyone's entitled to be a fan of team and to support his side. But I have already said it once -- something terrible happened in Manchester only a few days ago. And we behave like monkeys after that. It's sad."
