Was Reus driving with a fake Dutch license?

The controversy surrounding German international Marco Reus continues. After receiving a 540,000 euro ($664,667) fine for driving without a license over a three-and-a-half year period, more details have now come to light in the case.

According to German broadcaster WDR, which has seen the court order against the 25-year-old Dortmund star, Reus showed a fake Dutch driver's license when first stopped in March 2014. The fake document, obtained in 2009, wouldn't have allowed him to drive on German roads, according to the court order.

Back in 2009, Reus was playing at Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, a city just 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) from the Dutch border.

Germany's "Bild" newspaper reported on Friday that the Dortmund Prosecutor's Office had confirmed that Reus had been investigated for document forgery, as part of the investigation into his driving offences. The Dortmund Prosecutor's Office would not comment to DW on Friday. The investigation against Reus has now been closed and he said he will pay the fine levied against him.

If the allegations regarding the fake license are true, it would be history repeating for the Bundesliga. In May 2008, a driving instructor in the German state of Lower Saxony was found to have helped around 50 Bundesliga players illegally obtain licenses.

BVB bosses react

Borussia Dortmund's management has shown support for Reus, while at the same time voicing criticism since the controversy has come to light.

On Thursday, Dortmund's head coach Jürgen Klopp said Reus had "made a wrong turn" on the issue, adding that he had known Reus for a long time and he "didn't consider him to be someone who is constantly pushing the limits of legality."

Borussia Dortmund's club president, Hans-Joachim Watzke, explained to German newspaper "Die Welt" that "Marco decided to drive without a license when he was 18 or 19 years old, and it was only after that that he became famous.

"He obviously couldn't go to a driving school and say, 'I'd like to take lessons now for a driver's license.' Then it would have come out straight away. It was known that he was driving at that stage."

Watzke said it wasn't a justification for Reus' action, but an explanation nonetheless why he carried around the "dark secret" for so long.

"It would have been no fun for him," Watzke added.

Watzke would not comment to the newspaper on the allegation of the fake driver's license.