Niko Schulz: Borussia Dortmund in talks with defender after domestic violence allegations

Borussia Dortmund have announced they have held talks with Germany defender Niko Schulz following allegations of domestic violence against the player.

The 29-year-old Schultz denies the charges.

Dortmund said they were not aware of the allegations until they appeared in German media on Saturday, but they were “extremely serious and shocking”.

The Bundesliga club said at this early stage they could not take any action.

Schultz has been capped 12 times by his country, although he has not played for them since 2020.

The left-back has played 61 games for Dortmund since joining in 2019 but was not included in the squad for Saturday’s 1-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen.

“Borussia Dortmund responded to yesterday’s coverage of the criminal allegations regarding Niko Schulz’s private life by immediately holding talks with the player and his advisers. he said in a statement.

“The player disputes the criminal charges that have been brought against him. Nico Schulz has informed us that he will defend himself against these charges with the assistance of legal counsel and, in addition, requests that the presumption of innocence be applied.

“The allegations that have been made – of which Borussia Dortmund were completely unaware until the media reports appeared – are extremely serious and shocking for BVB.

“Borussia Dortmund takes this very seriously and distances itself from any form of violence. However, Borussia Dortmund is not involved in the process and has absolutely no insight into the investigation files or criminal charges that are apparently pending.

“As this is a pending case in its early stages and the factual and legal situation is extremely unclear for Borussia Dortmund as it stands today, we are not yet in a position to make reliable and legally sound decisions regarding labor law and disciplinary measures. However , we reserve the right to do so at any time after objectively learning more.”