Borussia Dortmund news and rumours – ‘There was a wrong decision before that’: Book puts forward explosive theory about Karetsas shock

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Borussia Dortmund news: Ole Book puts forward controversial theory about Karetsas injury

Did a wrong decision by referee Daniel Schlager set up the incident in which Borussia Dortmund attacker Konstantinos Karetsas may have suffered a serious injury during Saturday's 0-0 Bundesliga draw at Union Berlin?

"The opponent stepping on his foot there was unnecessary because there had been a wrong throw-in decision before that. And the whole situation should not have happened like that," Book said after the match, according to RUHR24. "Let's hope it's not quite that bad. He isn't feeling good right now."

Just before the challenge between Karetsas and Union's Rani Khedira, the Berlin side won a throw-in after Borussia Dortmund left-back Daniel Svensson misplaced a pass to Julian Ryerson and the ball went out of play. But Union's Andras Schäfer had pushed Svensson as he made the pass. Svensson fell and could not play the ball in a controlled manner, then briefly complained to Schlager. Book may also have seen a foul. If so, Dortmund should have had a free-kick rather than the Union throw-in that led to the Karetsas-Khedira challenge a few seconds later.

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Karetsas' right foot gave way under pressure from Khedira in his own penalty area. The 18-year-old Greek stayed on the pitch as his team-mates reacted with concern. He had come on only a few minutes earlier, but soon had to go off again.

"It's an ankle injury," Book said. Photos published by the Ruhr Nachrichten show Karetsas using crutches on his return to Dortmund late on Saturday evening. More reassuring news followed on Monday morning. Managing director of sport Lars Ricken even suggested he could return in October.

"We were lucky in an unlucky situation; it looked worse at first. Kos's absence will of course hurt us in the coming matches, but we can cope with it as a team. After the home match against Frankfurt, we'll take it day by day and see how his recovery progresses," Ricken said. Borussia Dortmund described it as a ligament injury but did not define it more precisely.

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Borussia Dortmund rumour: Dortmund spend up to €500,000 on special measure for Baku trip

With their current away fixtures taking a toll, Borussia Dortmund are apparently making an unusual and expensive travel arrangement for Tuesday's Champions League match at Sabah FK in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.

According to the Ruhr Nachrichten, the Dortmund party will not take the usual Airbus A320 charter plane provided by partner Eurowings. Instead, they have booked a specially converted Boeing 737 through Lithuanian airline "KlasJet", a subsidiary of the Avia Solutions Group. The plane is said to be extremely comfortable, with 68 business-class seats, and has reportedly been in Dortmund since late Saturday evening.

The Ruhr Nachrichten report says Dortmund will stop in Trabzon, Turkey, to refuel on the outbound flight. The club will reportedly pay between €400,000 and €500,000 for the arrangement because the plane and its crew will remain in Azerbaijan until Wednesday. Dortmund also plan to hold a training session in Baku on Wednesday morning for players who did not feature in the match before returning home, according to the report.

Last week's 1-0 defeat at Bodö/Glimt has left Borussia Dortmund under considerable pressure on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase. They must beat Champions League newcomers Sabah, with kick-off at 18.45 on Tuesday.

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Borussia Dortmund news: Former Dortmund player Julian Brandt stars for Ajax

Former Dortmund player Julian Brandt scored twice as struggling Dutch record champions Ajax Amsterdam returned to winning ways. The playmaker helped Ajax win 5-2 (2-0) away at FC Groningen on matchday nine of the Eredivisie. The 30-year-old, who has played 48 times for Germany, took his goal tally to six.

Two league draws and a defeat in their Conference League opener had put Ajax under pressure. Brandt put them ahead in the 27th minute with a powerful left-footed shot. After the break, the Bremen-born player struck again with his left foot to make it 3-1 at the time (60th minute).

Brandt's team-mate Marc-André ter Stegen conceded at least one goal for the seventh consecutive match. The win lifted coach Miguel Munoz's team to fourth place. Ajax host Atalanta Bergamo in the Conference League on Thursday evening (21.00/Sky). (SID)

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