Greed Not So Good For Fredrikstad

Greed is good said Gordon Gekko, but the poor unfortunate souls who are trying to run Fredrikstad Fotballklubb would probably disagree vigorously right now. 

After a remarkably good season Fredrikstad now risk seeing their title-challenge derailed by matters off the pitch. Their captain and talisman Kasey Wehrman has decided it's time to cash in on the club's success and is demanding a new and improved contract, even though he has over a year remaining on his current deal. When the club declined his request he did what every footballer seems to do these days when things doesn't go their way: He went to the media. 

"Amateurs," he boldly whinged to Nettavisen. "This is no way to treat people...I still want to stay at the club, but with this sort of treatment I hope to leave when the season is over," he continued, showing that he knows a thing or two about amateurish behavior himself.

"We want to be a top club, but we have to live in the reality," responded Fredrikstad board-member Tom Kristoffersen. "And the reality is that the wage-developments in Norwegian football are far above the limit of what a lot of clubs can handle. We can't run FFK into the ground." 

Captain Marvellous then went one step further: "I've reached the conclusion that I'm through with FFK. I'm mentally prepared to play for another club next season," he sobbed, before making a thinly veiled threat that he might even have to stop playing for a while to nurse an injury if his contract demands weren't met. Jaw-droppingly unprofessional comments for any player, let alone a club captain.

Then, hilariously, Wehrman played terribly and was sent off as Fredrikstad crashed out of the cup against Odd Grenland. Way to prove your worth, Kasey.

Wehrman: Hard-man on the pitch, greedy and unprofessional off it

But Fredrikstad's trouble didn't end with their captain, their hunt for a Tarik-replacement suffered a setback this week when they publicly ended their interest in Lyn's top-scorer Espen Hoff. 

The versatile forward would have been an ideal replacement for the departed Elyounoussi, but his wage demands (rumored to be somewhere between four and five million NOK per year) were simply too steep for Fredrikstad.