A 15-year-old boy died in a serious attack after a soccer game in Frankfurt am Main. Arrest warrants have been issued for the 16-year-old suspect. According to the public prosecutor, the life-threateningly injured 15-year-old Berliner was initially kept alive with machines after the crime on Whitsunday in order to prepare for the removal of donor organs. The youth had suffered a serious brain injury in the act. An autopsy is scheduled to take place in the next few days to determine the cause of death.
The crime happened after the final whistle of an international game in the Eckenheim district of Frankfurt, in which a French and a Berlin team competed against each other.
“The arrest warrant has so far assumed dangerous and serious bodily harm,” said the spokeswoman for the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office, Nadja Niesen. She announced that after the boy’s brain death, which had initially occurred, investigations were being carried out into the cause of bodily harm resulting in death.
In the meantime, details of the alleged course of events have also become known: Like the FAZ citing the district court on Wednesday, the accused, who is from France, is said to have initially attacked another opponent and hit him in the face with both fists. He then put the 15-year-old in a headlock and hit him in the stomach. He was initially able to free himself and walk away. The accused ran after him and hit him hard on the head from behind. When the teenager collapsed, he left. The public prosecutor’s office confirmed the process.
The detailed course of events and in particular the question of how the crime came about is still the subject of the ongoing investigations by the Frankfurt criminal police. The police are still looking for witnesses. Videos and photos could be sent to the police online or uploaded to a special page. The evaluation is not yet complete, said a spokesman for the Frankfurt police headquarters.
Reactions from politicians and sports officials
“The fact that a young player was taken from his life after a football game in Frankfurt aM stuns me, leaves me speechless. I wish the relatives, the friends, the team infinite strength in this darkest hour,” wrote Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD). Berlin’s football association president Bernd Schultz was quoted in a statement: “Our thoughts and sympathy go out to all the relatives and team members of the player concerned in these difficult hours.” You stand by the club wherever you can.
The German Football Association (DFB) also reacted. “The terrible act of violence at an international youth tournament in Frankfurt shocked football in Germany. During these hours our thoughts and prayers go to the 15-year-old footballer and his family. We have to learn again how to treat each other decently – and that means first and foremost non-violently “said DFB Vice President Ronny Zimmermann.
In his statement, Zimmermann emphasized the DFB’s commitment to preventing violence. “We have a social problem in dealing with each other, respect and behavior. This can be seen not least in football. The DFB and its state associations are striving to curb the number of violent incidents through numerous preventive measures. The current case shows with sad emphasis that we have to keep working hard and with the utmost commitment,” said the official.
According to the DFB, however, the number of violent attacks compared to the total number of games is low. In 2021/22, 911 games were canceled, and not all because of physical violence. This corresponds to 0.075 percent of the total number of games played.