On Sunday, Radja Nainggolan once again made headlines due to an off-field incident. One hour prior to the losing match against Standard Liège, the midfielder for Antwerp FC was still smoking in the team’s dugout under coach Mark van Bommel.
Nainggolan signed for his hometown club, Royal Antwerp in 2021. Since then he has made 43 appearances for the club. He made the move from Inter Milan where he had been on the books for three seasons.
Radja Nainggolan cuaght smoking in the dugout
Van Bommel was asked about Nainggolan and his e-cigarette after the shocking loss in Liège. “I missed seeing that. “I have to see for myself before I can evaluate,” the Antwerp coach remarked after watching his team fall behind 3-0 after just nine minutes.
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was replaced by Nainggolan in the second half. The 34-year-old midfielder caused controversy last week when he crashed into his car while operating without a licence. He was later taken into custody. Due to the fact that he has not yet finished his required re-examination following a prior driving suspension, the 30-time Belgian international is allegedly set to receive a prison sentence.
Prior to the clash with Standard, Van Bommel faced Nainggolan and substituted him. From the beginning of his formation, the Antwerp trainer turned to look skyward. “The same as everyone else. I didn’t see this coming,” Van Bommel stated, expressing his satisfaction with his team’s response at the time. “In the eighty last minutes, we drew 0-0,” he added.
After Stade Maurice Dufrasne’s loss, Antwerp is now in second place in the Jupiler Pro League. “We won’t start acting in a different way overnight. We play in a specific method that allows for enough variation. I’d be crazy to start doubting anything after we’ve already gained so much ground. Even though we consistently won, we couldn’t float. So there is no need to worry just now,” assures Van Bommel.
