'Absolute joke' - Sancho slams DFL after Borussia Dortmund star fined for breaking coronavirus lockdown to get a haircut

Jadon Sancho has called the German football league (DFL) an "absolute joke" after they fined him and Borussia Dortmund team mate Manuel Akanji for breaking coronavirus social distancing rules, following pictures emerging on social media of the footballers getting a haircut.

Photographs circulated earlier this week of the players seeing a barber without face masks, breaking the strict anti-coronavirus measures which are still in place in Germany.

Four other Borussia Dortmund players, who allegedly broke the rules in the same way, have not been punished due to a lack of evidence, as no photos of them getting haircuts were published online.

The DFL confirmed the punishment for Sancho and Akanji in a statement, but did not say how much the fines were, as well as confirming that Borussia Dortmund as a club would not be punished and that the players have five days to appeal.

Their statement read : "The DFL fines Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho. The Borussia Dortmund players had apparently violated general hygiene and infection protection standards at home hairdressing appointments, and in particular the medical and organisational concept of the DFL task force 'Sports Medicine / Special Game Operations'.

"There is no question that professional footballers have to have their hair cut. However, this currently has to be done in accordance with the medical-organisational concept. In specific cases, the club had also provided its players with a corresponding opportunity.

"In principle, 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 no "organisational fault" is recognisable."

The punishment cut no ice with England international Sancho however, who responded on Twitter: "Absolute Joke DFL!", along with a shrugging emoji.

Six Dortmund players stood accused of breaking the strict Bundesliga regulations after enlisting the services of star coiffeur Winnie Nana Karkari on Thursday. 

Akanji and Sancho, along with Raphael Guerreiro, Thorgan Hazard, Axel Witsel and Dan-Axel Zagadou, had, according to  Bild , received home visits from Karkari in order to cut their hair, and photos released by the German daily showed that neither Akanji or Sancho, nor the hairdresser, engaged in the mandatory use of face masks. 

"It is pretty common that our guys must get their hair cut after all these months," Dortmund responded to  Bild  when questioned over the story. "But it surely is a no-go, from both sides, to not wear a mask. We will remind our players about that very, very clearly. Also, the stylist should ask himself about his behaviour, too."

Karkari also spoke out over the allegations, insisting that he took his mask off "for the photographs" and "stuck to all hygiene-rules very strictly."