Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
After a night of bewilderment and speculation, the reason for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s suspension by Borussia Dortmund appears to have been revealed.
The striker had to watch from the stands as his side laboured to victory over Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night, having been left out of the squad at the last minute for ‘internal reasons’.
Coach Thomas Tuchel had remained oblique in explaining his decision, saying that the club would accept the inevitable speculation for the sake of keeping the matter private.
That speculation reached fever pitch, however, as one explanation for Aubameyang’s suspension emerged in Bild.
According to the German paper, it was a trip to Milan earlier this week which led to the Gabonese being removed from the squad. Taking advantage of a day off from training on Monday, Aubameyang had flown to Italy in his private jet to attend a friend’s birthday party.
Though this in itself was no problem, the Dortmund hierarchy were reportedly aggrieved that Aubameyang had stayed overnight in Milan, reporting to work 10 minutes late the next morning.
Club rules dictate that a player must at least be in the country the night before training or a game. That indiscretion was, according to the report, enough for Tuchel to drop Aubameyang from the squad entirely just hours before last night’s win over Sporting.
The decision was apparently made so late that the striker’s shirt had already been hung up in the dressing room.
According to Bild, Aubameyang might have escaped retribution had it not been for an Instagram post from a friend which revealed his attendance at the party in Milan on Monday night.