Germany: Young footballer dies after cup brawl. In a fight with members of a French team at an international youth tournament, a 15-year-old football player from Berlin died on Wednesday, according to police.
After struck on the head during the altercation in Frankfurt on Sunday, the teenager “died in hospital as a result of his severe brain injuries,” according to a statement from the local police.
Following the altercation, a 16-year-old member of the French team detained by police and still held in custody, according to the police.
After the game’s final whistle, a fight broke out between a team from French second-division club Metz and the victim’s team, JFC Berlin.
The “detailed sequence of events” that caused the player’s injuries was still under investigation, according to the investigators.
Police said in a separate statement Tuesday that the victim “fell to the floor and to resuscitated” after apparently struck “on the head or neck.”
A spokeswoman for the Frankfurt prosecutor’s office said the victim, who already pronounced brain dead on Tuesday, kept on life support so his organs donated.
On Wednesday night, Metz issued a statement.
The statement read, “FC Metz has learned through the media of the death of the young opposing player today following the tragedy that occurred this past weekend in Frankfurt.
The entire FC Metz organization devastated by this tragedy and extends its deepest sympathies to the young player’s family and loved ones.
The club continued by saying that it “would like to remind everyone once again that FC Metz Performance Program, as well as all the players and parents present, are of course at the disposal of the German authorities to assist with the investigation.”
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A member of the club’s “Performance Program,” which provides “young footballers… from all over the world access to a high-level training structure,” confirmed by the organization on Tuesday to detained by German authorities.
Germany: Young footballer dies after cup brawl. According to the club, the alleged attacker “denies intentionally caused serious bodily harm.”
The events, which the tournament’s organizers described as “unbelievably sad,” shocked them as well, they said on Tuesday.