Wolfsburg midfielder Jan Polak has lashed out angrily at critics who suggest he and his team-mates are happy to under-perform at the club while enjoying significant wage packets.
Dieter Hecking's side have bagged just eight points from their opening nine games in the Bundesliga this season and suffered an ignominious 2-0 derby defeat at home to Eintracht Braunschweig last weekend.
Wolfsburg have been in steady decline ever since their incredible title triumph in 2009, with some suggesting the squad are happy to accept mid-table obscurity while being bankrolled by the fortunes of the Volkswagen group, but Polak has lambasted such claims.
"We always hear that we are nothing but f***ing millionaires. No, we're not," the 32-year-old is quoted as fuming by TZ.
"It's always the same: 'In Wolfsburg, players only want to earn a bit of money. Maybe they'll play a bit of football, but they'll have a lot of fun.' The stereotype annoys me massively.
"To hear these allegations again and again is not good for the head. We're not the f***ing millionaire troupe. That we lost to Brauschweig was nothing to do with money. We played badly. If we had won the derby, they would not be asking us to show our passion.