Milan van Ewijk has stressed that he meant no offence after a picture of his celebration in Coventry’s 2-1 win over Millwall had to be deleted from the club’s official Instagram page.
At the Coventry Building Society Arena, Millwall took the lead in the 12th minute thanks to a goal from Romain Esse, and the hosts won all three points thanks to a double from Haji Wright in the second half.
With the race for playoff slots in England’s second division heating up, the outcome propelled Coventry up to sixth in the Championship table. However, the Sky Blues’ triumph brought unwelcome attention to them.
A picture of Coventry’s defender Milan van Ewijk appeared to show the Dutchman giving a salute and indicating a moustache with his finger, and it was posted to Coventry’s Instagram page shortly after the game.
Numerous responses hinted at the ominous implications associated with the photo, but Van Ewijk clarified the image with a statement of his own, stating he had only “mixed up” two festivities.
In response to the post that was later removed, the former Heerenveen full-back said, “I got two celebrations mixed.. please don’t see this as offensive.”
“Yeah, that’s a better pic,” Van Ewijk retorted after someone shared another picture in its stead.
Prior to Sunday’s match, Coventry’s top scorer Wright gave Van Ewijk credit for helping him adjust to his new surroundings and mentioned that the full-back was “big on celebrating” in remarks to the media.
It’s enjoyable to be with him. A ton of laughs and a great time, the American striker told reporters.
“He makes it easier for us because he’s a good player as well.”
Wright went on, “Yeah, he’s big on celebrating, but it would be great if he could celebrate a goal every now and then [laughs].”
After spending almost £3.5 million to join Coventry from Eredivisie team Heerenveen last summer, Van Ewijk has made 29 appearances for the team this season and scored twice in the Championship.
The 23-year-old right-back is anticipated to stay in the starting lineup when Coventry visits Home Park on Wednesday to take on Plymouth Argyle, who are currently in 15th place.
