Hertha Berlin's Dejagah arrested for failing to appear in court

IRNA - Hertha Berlin's midfielder Ashkan Dejagah was detained for several hours Monday evening for failing to appear in court on a traffic violation, Bild newspaper reported Wednesday.

The 21-year-old German-Iranian footballer was picked up by two plainclothes police officers at his home in Berlin's Spandau district and transferred to a police station, where he was detained overnight.

Dejagah had failed to attend a court hearing on December 19 in connection with a hit-and-run incident.

A Berlin judge ordered Dejagah's release from jail on condition he appeared at his next court hearing.

Dejagah is also facing an inofficial ban by Hertha Berlin for unexpectedly signing a three-year deal with Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg.

Herha Berlin coach Falko Goetz has demoted Dejagah to the amateur squad until further notice.

The talented German-Iranian midfielder, who is to join Wolfsburg on a transfer-free basis at the end of the season, will reportedly earn around one million euros a year.

Dejagah, who joind Berlin as a junior player in 2000, has also been linked to other Bundesliga clubs, notably FC Nuremberg and Borussia Dortmund.