Luc Holtz has announced the squad for the national football team's upcoming matches, and reactions immediately flooded in on social media regarding Gerson Rodrigues' inclusion.

The national team's top scorer was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended, at the end of April for domestic violence and assault and battery.

The board of directors of the Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF) believes that the player  "should not be punished a second time" and that he "deserved a second chance," according to FLF lawyer Marc Diederich. It was after this decision that national manager Luc Holtz was given permission to select the striker from AVS Futebol in Portugal.

Controversial decision

Rodrigues' inclusion is a controversial decision which has quickly provoked a reaction from politicians across Luxembourg.

Former tennis player and Democratic Party (DP) MP Mandy Minella posted a message on Facebook in which she expressed her incomprehension regarding the selection of a player for a friendly match of the national team while he is convicted of domestic violence: " A top-level athlete has a responsibility, not only on the pitch, but to set an example for children and teenagers ."

Former minister and Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) MP Taina Bofferding wonders what values ​​the FLF is communicating when a convicted athlete represents our country: " Domestic violence is a minor crime without gravitas when you play good football? NO! Violence that takes place in private should not be classified as a private matter, for me it's a NO GO."

Former footballer and DP MP Barbara Agostino also doesn't understand this decision. She calls on the FLF and the authorities to take responsibility and remove the player from the national team: "Luxembourg cannot advocate 'zero tolerance' for violence, and at the same time turn a blind eye when it affects a high-profile player. Setting an example is not an option: it is a responsibility."