Karetsas remains hospitalized, Dortmund sidelines him this weekend

The young Greek midfielder Karetsas remains hospitalized and will not be able to play the Borussia Dortmund league match against Paderborn scheduled for this Saturday, according to the club's statement released on 10‑09‑2026. The Greek, aged eighteen, has been declared unavailable for the weekend, despite ongoing additional examinations.

BVB announced on Thursday that the player will not be on the pitch. This decision comes after the athlete was taken to hospital on Tuesday during the 3‑2 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League.

Player's health comes first

Sporting director Ole Book reminded that the player's health is paramount. “It is clear that today we are putting the health of the man and the player first. He will therefore not be part of the match this weekend,” he said.

Karetsas was substituted after twenty‑seven minutes, suffering from circulatory problems. He was taken on a stretcher to the hospital while the match was still ongoing.

The teenager had left Racing Genk last summer for around thirty million euros, joining Borussia Dortmund. He quickly became part of the squad, but his integration was halted by the medical incident.

Examinations and outlook

Book added that, given the circumstances, the player is fine. “Additional examinations are underway. We really want to find out exactly what happened,” he clarified.

Coach Niko Kovac expressed his optimism, stating that the Greek should not be unavailable for long. “We are optimistic about this and hope he will be back with us in the near future,” he said.

The information comes from the Belgian Agency wire, published on 10‑09‑2026 at 14:03. International Football Foreign Championships relayed the statement. Share, Follow, The DH on Kos, as well as the mentions of Belga, Publi, and BVB confirm the authenticity of the report.