JADON SANCHO has been slapped with a fine after breaking lockdown rules to get a haircut.
Along with fellow Borussia Dortmund star Manuel Akanji, the winger has managed to avoid a ban from playing in the Bundesliga.
Jadon Sancho got his hair cut between the defeat to Bayern Munich and the win over Paderborn
The German Football League (DFL) released a statement on Friday confirming the punishment.
It read: “The DFL has fined Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho.
“The Borussia Dortmund players had reportedly violated general hygiene and infection protection standards during home hairdressing appointments.
“This can be seen in photos published in the media and on social media.
“There is no question that professional footballers do have to have their hair cut. However, this currently has to be done in accordance with the medical guidelines.
“In specific cases, the club had also provided its players with a corresponding opportunity.
“The DFL does not provide any information about the amount of a penalty in contractual penalty proceedings.
“Players have the right to lodge a complaint within five days. The penalties are expressly not directed against the club, for which there is no ‘organizational fault’.”
GOT THE CHOP
As reported by Bild, the England winger, 20, as well as team-mates Axel Witsel, Thorgan Hazard, Raphael Guerreiro, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji all got fresh trims from Dusseldorf star hairdresser Winnie Nana Karkari.
The celebrity barber is understood to have visited the players at their apartments last Thursday and then posed for photographs.
But in the snaps no one was wearing face masks, a breach of the protocols set out in Germany which also state no visitors are permitted.
It is understood a unanimous agreement was made on May 14 whereby clubs signed up to adhere to the medical guidelines as part of the Bundesliga restart.
Afro-specialist Karkari can be seen working on Sancho’s hair without any personal protection at all, including gloves.
However, the barber insists he did take the precautions while cutting the hair and told Bild: “I only removed the mask for the photo, otherwise all hygiene measures were followed exactly.
“I disinfected every machine in front of every customer, always cut with gloves regardless of corona – and I am very, very picky.”
But now Bild add the German league (DFL) are looking into the incident to work out the punishment the players deserve.
On one hand, the league want to slap Sancho & Co with a hefty punishment to send a grave warning to the rest of the clubs but Dortmund are understandably fighting for a lighter sanction.
Dortmund’s director of football Michael Zorc admitted: “We are in dialogue with the DFL.”
The report, however, adds that a significant fine is the most likely consequence for the players – which could even be paid by the club – as opposed to a suspension.
Manager Lucien Favre said: “Jadon is still young, but we shouldn’t do it all that way. I cannot control everything. But we were all 18, 19, 20.”
Borussia Dortmund added: “It is quite normal for our boys after all the months to have their hair cut. But what would of course not be possible would have been that both sides had done without a mask in the past week.
“We will remind our players of this very, very clearly. The hairdresser should also ask himself about his behaviour.”
Sancho had his hair cut between the defeat to Bayern Munich last Tuesday – when he sported bushy hair and a beard – and his heroic performance on Sunday, scoring a hat-trick with the fade and shave.
He is also under the spotlight after reportedly travelling back to England during the height of the lockdown without the permission of his employers.
As a result of the trip, he was forced to quarantine himself for two weeks upon landing in Germany again.
The club officially said the Three Lions man was missing training due to a calf problem.
Still only 20, he is valued at around £124million – although that could drop to as low as £108m due to the impact of coronavirus on the finances in football.
Even so, he remains Manchester United’s No1 transfer priority this summer with the Red Devils hoping they can raise some cash through player sales to help fund a bid for Sancho.
However, Real Madrid are also in the race to land the former Watford and Manchester City youngster, even if they have to wait an extra year.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
