Borussia Dortmund CEO Dismisses Suggestion Tottenham Defeat Was Caused by Hairdresser Visit

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed suggestions that the side's defeat to Tottenham in the Champions League was caused by the visit of a hairdresser to the team hotel the day before.

Lucien Favre's men slumped to a 3-0 first leg loss at Wembley in their last 16 clash, and reports had emerged that several first-team stars including the likes of Axel Witsel, Abdou Diallo and Dan-Axel Zagadou had got new haircuts at the London hotel they were staying in.

Despite the hairdresser reportedly also cutting Dortmund players' hair before their wins against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid earlier in the season, a run of four games without a win has seen questions being raised about the side's focus.

Watzke however insisted that the visit had no bearing on the outcome of the match, claiming instead that 'sporting reasons' were the reason for their defeat.

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Speaking to Bild, he said: "It certainly has no influence on a team's performance. There are sporting reasons for our defeat, and we need to analyse them. 

"It's clear the defeat also leads to a critical media view of the hairdresser's visit. And that's why Michael Zorc (sporting director) and Sebastian Kehl (squad manager) will review this with the players."

Christian Streich, coach of Bundesliga rivals Freiburg, echoed Watzke's thoughts, and ridiculed the suggestion that Dortmund's players had lost focus because of their new haircuts.

He said: "I've also been to the hairdresser (on the day before a match). It does not break their focus - quite the opposite.

"They are happy they've been to the hairdresser. They have a new hairdo. They are young lads. They'll then go onto the pitch and want to play a good game. 

"Break the focus? Do they have to see the hairdresser on Monday? It's just nonsense."