Dortmund say they have held talks with German defender Nico Schultz following domestic violence allegations against the player.
The player’s ex-partner has reportedly filed criminal charges against him for domestic violence in 2020 and an investigation has been launched.
Schultz, 29, has denied the allegations.
Dortmund said they were not aware of the allegations until Saturday when they surfaced in German media, but they were “very serious and shocking”.
The Bundesliga club said at this early stage that no action could be taken.
Schultz has made 12 appearances for his national team, 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 over Bayer Leverkusen.
“Dortmund have responded to yesterday’s media reports of the criminal allegations against Nico Schultz’s private life, holding talks with the player and his advisers immediately,” the club said. said in a statement.
“The player challenges the criminal charges against him. Nico Schultz told us he will defend the charges with the help of legal counsel, in addition to calling for the application of the presumption of innocence.
“The allegations that have been made – which Dortmund knew nothing about before the media reports emerged – are extremely serious and shocking for Dortmund.
“Dortmund take them very seriously and distance themselves from any form of violence. However, Dortmund is not a party to the proceedings and has no knowledge of the investigation documents or the apparently pending criminal charges.
“As this is a pending case at an early stage, the current factual and legal situation in Dortmund is very unclear and we cannot yet make any reliable and legally unassailable decisions on labour law and disciplinary measures. However, once we objectively Learn more, we reserve the right to do so at any time.
