Sexual abuse allegations against former Dortmund employee reach 17

Allegations against a former Borussia Dortmund employee over sexual abuse claims are widening, with investigators now looking into 17 cases dating from the 1980s to 2017, a public prosecutor's office told dpa on Tuesday.

The first allegations against the former employee of the Bundesliga football club were made public last year. At the end of 2025, prosecutors searched the suspect's home and seized devices.

An external review set up by Dortmund is ongoing. The club commented on the allegations in a statement last October.

According to the statement, the club was informed in 2010 about an alleged attempt by the former employee to approach a youth team player who was already of legal consent age at the time, said to have taken place in the 1990s.

However, the allegation could not be substantiated because the suspect denied it and no complaint was filed, the club said.

In 2023, a further allegation became known, after which Dortmund immediately ended the employee's contract.