Yahoo Finance Borussia Dortmund deny Jadon Sancho’s injury was a cover-up for breaking lockdown rules
Borussia Dortmund have been forced to deny Jadon Sancho’s calf injury was a cover-up for breaking lockdown rules and going into quarantine.
The England forward’s return to full training was delayed following football’s closure for the coronavirus pandemic, with claims he needed to be isolated following a trip back to London.
Sancho, 20, was fined by his club earlier in the season when he returned late from international duty and Michael Zorc, Dortmund’s sporting director, insisted he would punish his player if it was needed.
"Jadon has been in Dortmund for the past few weeks and I read we put him into quarantine while using an injury as cover up,” said Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc. “Jadon had a calf injury for several weeks and that's why he did not train.
"We should not forget that Jadon is still a young player, testing his limits. I have punished him occasionally if it had to be done.
"In this special situation we are all in with Covid-19, it is not only on the coach and the staff to ensure everyone is disciplined, but also the entire club and its hierarchy. We talked to the players in the past. With Jadon too.”
Dortmund have given their backing to players who were pictured getting a haircut with celebrity stylist Winnie Nana Karkari. Sancho, Raphael Guerreiro, Thorgan Hazard, Manuel Akanji, Axel Witsel and Dan-Axel Zagadou have also been visited by Karkari, who was not wearing a mask in pictures.
"If it's about the hairdresser, we talked to the hairdresser, to our players and they all assured us that, while cutting their hair the hygiene rules were followed and the hairdresser did not only wear a mask but also a protection shield and they took it off for the pictures,” Zorc said.
"That's not right, and we addressed this with the players. We are not defending the hairdresser visit. And I believe that in this DFL [German FA] instructions important things are not forbidden. For instance, if I am driving my car and I run out of petrol, I can top up.
"And, for us, after months of waiting, it is also important to see a hairdresser. It all has to be within the hygiene rules. Both sides have said they did it. To post it on social media afterwards, I don't get it. But that's maybe part of it all. Maybe I am too old. And that's the breach that they did not wear masks."
