BVB reacts to renewed doubts about Moukoko’s age

Borussia Dortmund has rejected recent reports of allegedly falsified age information for its young star Youssoufa Moukoko. The fact that the officially 20-year-old could be older than previously stated is part of the report “Tricking, cheating, deceiving – the million-dollar business with football talent,” which will be broadcast on ProSieben on Sunday (7 p.m.).

“In the case of Youssoufa Moukoko, the biological parents and dates of birth are derived from official identification documents and birth certificates issued by a German authority,” says a BVB statement. These continue to exist and are the basis for playing rights and permits for clubs. Moukoko is currently on loan at OGC Nice.

The report presents, among other things, an alleged birth certificate that is supposed to show the real age and the original surname Moukokos. However, the authenticity of this document is also doubted.

The documentary also shows an alleged affidavit that is said to come from the man who has previously appeared as the father. In the document he is supposed to state that he is not Moukoko’s biological father.

However, BVB emphasized that “both the player and the biological parents identified in the above-mentioned documents have declared to us and, in the case of the parents, even to third parties, through affidavits as part of legal proceedings, that the information provided in the above-mentioned official documents is correct are.” These are crucial for the club and the DFB.

Rumors about a possible different age persist. In 2017, the then Dortmund U23 team manager Ingo Preuß, who still works for the club today, said in a “spox” interview: “I could imagine with Youssoufa that his age was only estimated. Maybe he is actually a , two years older.”