Borussia Dortmund release statement after on-loan star Youssoufa Moukoko is accused of age tampering
Borussia Dortmund have issued a statement defending their on-loan youngster Youssoufa Moukoko after claims emerged of the German forward's involvement in age tampering. The Germany international is currently on loan at Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice and has been accused of being older than what he claims to be.
German channel ProSieben are set to air a documentary titled 'Tricks, Cheats, Deception - The Million Dollar Business with Football Talents' on Sunday, and a certain Joseph Moukoko has made some claims. He revealed that while he had posed as Youssoufa's father, he was not, and the striker was born in 2000 and not 2004.
Borussia Dortmund released a statement after the claims were made public, pointing out that they have paperwork which puts the age of the striker at 20. In their statement to Sky Germany, they revealed that they got documentation and declarations from the biological parents of the youngster, invalidating claims of fraud.
"In the case of Youssoufa Moukoko, the biological parents and the date of birth are derived from official identification documents and birth certificates issued by a German authority. These documents are still valid today and are the basis for playing authorizations and permits for clubs, regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign, and of course also for association teams such as the German U21 national team. Please also note that both the player and the biological parents identified in the above-mentioned documents have declared to us and, in the case of the parents, even to third parties through affidavits in the context of legal proceedings that the information contained in the aforementioned official documents is correct. This factual status is of course decisive for us, the DFB, and the player's current club."
Moukoko is on loan at Nice, having joined them in the summer after failing to feature regularly for Borussia Dortmund. The striker, who was part of the Germany squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, was a sensation for the youth teams at Dortmund. He scored 141 goals in only 88 games for the U-17 and U-19 teams, earning widespread recognition.
Youssoufa Moukoko is the youngest player to feature and score in the German Bundesliga, and the youngest debutant in UEFA Champions League history. He has scored two goals and provided two assists in 13 appearances on loan at Nice this season.
Borussia Dortmund manager picks between Real Madrid and Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin has revealed his pick of Spain's biggest teams after seeing his side suffer a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. The young manager has lost to both Spanish giants in the competition this season, his first in charge of the German outfit.
Speaking after the defeat at home to Barcelona, the manager was asked which side he considers to be better. The Turkish national, who had a stint at Real Madrid, did not hesitate to choose Los Blancos over their rivals.
"You ask a Real Madrid fan who is better. For me Borussia Dortmund, but if I have to choose, I will always choose Real Madrid."
Real Madrid defeated Sahin's Borussia Dortmund 5-2, with Vinicius Jr scoring thrice as his side came from 2-0 down to win. Their defeat to Barcelona was much narrower, with La Blaugrana needing a late strike from Ferran Torres to seal the win at the Signal Iduna Park.