An alleged extortion scandal is causing a stir in the United States.
According to media reports, right in the middle: the parents of Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna (20) and national coach Gregg Berhalter (49).
At the World Cup in Qatar, Reyna only made two appearances and was only on the pitch for 52 minutes. Coach Berhalter preferred to trust other professionals. The coach is said to have almost sent Reyna home because he seemed listless in the training sessions and behaved unprofessionally (BILD reported).
New details from that period are now coming to light.
As “ESPN” reports, the Reyna parents, Claudio (49) and Danielle Reyna (49), are said to have personally contacted the US association during the tournament. Claudio is said to have threatened to make allegations from Berhalter’s past public.
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According to the report, following the USA were eliminated from the World Cup, an employee of the US association learned on December 11 in a telephone call with Claudio and Danielle that Berhalter had used domestic violence in the past.
On Tuesday, Berhalter announced on Twitter: “During the World Cup, a person contacted US Soccer and said they had information regarding me that would ‘bring me down’ – an apparent attempt to use something very personal from a long time ago to end my relationship with US bring regarding soccer.”
Gregg Berhalter, who played professionally for Cottbus and 1860 Munich, has been coaching USA since 2018
And further: “In the fall of 1991 I met my soul mate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman student when I met Rosalind. One evening Rosalind and I had a heated argument which continued outside while we were having a drink at a local bar. It got violent and I kicked her in the legs.”
Despite the incident, Berhalter and Rosalind are married and have four children together. For Danielle Reyna, however, Berhalter’s portrayal is clearly an understatement. She was playing on a college team with Rosalind at the time of the incident.
In a statement, she said: “Without going into detail, yesterday’s statements clearly downplay the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend and I supported her through the trauma that followed.”
Danielle continues, “It took me a long time to forgive and accept Gregg, but I worked hard to grant him clemency and eventually made both of them and their children an important part of my family life. I would have wished and expected that he would show the same mercy to Gio. That is why the current situation is so hurtful and hard.”
After the incident became known, the US association launched an investigation. Berhalter, whose contract expired at the end of the year, will initially be represented by interim coach Anthony Hudson.