DFB figures respond to shock news of Man United target Karim Adeyemi’s conviction on illegal weapons charges | OneFootball

Shortly before the German national team’s decisive World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia last night, news leaking of a controversy involving attacker Karim Adeyemi. The Borussia Dortmund professional – as reported by Sport Bild – was convicted of a charge involving illegal weapons in the German state of Westphalia some two weeks ago. Adeyemi is currently being linked with a move to Man United.

Adeyemi apparently ordered a set of brass knuckles and a taser online. When said items were found in his possession, Adeyemi was forced to answer for weapons prohibited under German law. A Ruhr district court issued a verdict back at the beginning of November, fining the 23-year-old a total of €450,000 to be rendered over the course of two months. 

The German FA only learned of the conviction after Sport Bild reported on the story late last week. German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann was asked about Adeyemi’s case at a Sunday press conference. Nagelsmann confirmed knowledge of the incident and also confirmed that he had spoken to Adeyemi about it. 

Nagelsmann nevertheless remained tight-lipped about the matter ahead of such an important game. Adeyemi – who had been suspended for Friday night’s World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg – was once again available to Nagelsmann against Slovakia last night. Adeyemi ended up remaining unused on the bench despite the fact that Nagelsmann used all five of his substitutions. 

“I had a good conversation with Karim,” Nagelsmann said on Sunday. “But this is an issue that shouldn’t be given precedence. I can’t say much as a coach before such a big game. This is an issue that’s too big for us and German football right now. That’s why I will not comment on any further questions, irrespective of how they are framed.“

Former German national team head coach and current DFB boss Rudi Völler followed up on the matter while speaking to German public broadcaster ZDF last night. Nagelsmann had promised on Sunday that there would be “further discussions after the game“. Völler confirmed that the German FA was monitoring the matter and that Adeyemi might be sanctioned. 

“The day after the game in Luxembourg, [Borussia Dortmund sporting director] Lars Ricken called me and told us about it,” Völler noted. “Julian and I then confronted Karim in order to hear his side of the story. He tried to explain it to some extent. He was probably hoping it wouldn’t come out. We were caught off guard.

“We can be critical of him without outright condemning him,” Völler continued. “We all made mistakes at that age, though possibly not this big. It’s naive and dumb to order something like that online. I don’t want to gloss over this conduct. We’ll deal with it calmly. There’s no sense in getting caught up in outrage. We’ll talk about sanctions later.”

GGFN | Peter Weis