After abuse allegations: BVB go on the attack | OneFootball

After new indications of sexual assaults by a former employee, BVB is now having the case independently reviewed. After years of silence, a comprehensive clarification of what happened back then is finally to take place.

Borussia Dortmund has announced that it will independently and comprehensively investigate the allegations of sexual assault against a former employee. The club has commissioned the auditing firm BDO as well as the criminal law firm Knauer& to review all available documents and prepare interviews with those affected and other informants. The goal is a “factual and legal examination of the events,” as the club emphasizes.

The indications of sexual assaults go back many years. BVB was first confronted with the case in 2010, when the lawyer of one of the affected parties contacted Hans-Joachim Watzke directly. In an interview with schwatzgelb.de, the current CEO explained that he forwarded the matter to the then president Reinhard Rauball. A few weeks later, Rauball assured him that the matter had been “resolved.” For the club, the allegation was thus considered settled.

Recently, however, the case resurfaced. In the 1990s, the former employee is said to have “made advances towards a then-adult youth player.”

BVB boss Watzke spoke with the accused

When a new tip was received in 2023, then-president Reinhold Lunow opted for direct clarification and asked Watzke to have a personal conversation with the accused. After the meeting, the accused resigned from his positions, mutually terminated his employment contract, and left the club completely.

Borussia Dortmund emphasizes that it is “deeply affected” by the allegations and firmly distances itself “from any form of violence.” In addition to the legal and organizational review, the perspective of those affected is also to be given greater consideration. Sports psychologist Dr. Jeannine Ohlert is accompanying the investigation for this purpose. The club is also actively requesting information and has set up a dedicated email address for this purpose.

Looking back, Watzke explained that much has been done in the area of prevention in recent years and that staff have been regularly trained since 2019. The club wants to continue learning from the current investigations. His assessment: “I don’t believe something like this would happen again to the same extent today.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.