A German teenager from a Berlin football club, Paul P., who was beaten into a coma by a Moroccan player from a French football team, passed away last week, according to police. The German media had originally erroneously reported that the suspect was a 16-year-old French player, only to later report the suspect was actually a Moroccan playing for the French team.
The match took place in Frankfurt am Main over Pentecost weekend, with the beating death shocking Germany.
“After a brawl following a soccer match that was part of an international youth tournament in Eckenheim last Pentecost Sunday, the 15-year-old died in the hospital today from the consequences of his severe brain injuries,” the police and public prosecutor’s office in the Main metropolis announced in a joint press release on Wednesday last week.
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On Whitsunday, a brawl broke out between a German and French under-17 team during an international competition called the “Germany Cup.” During the fight on the pitch, a 16-year-old Moroccan playing for Frankfurt club SV Viktoria Preußen, allegedly hit the Berlin youth to the ground, according to the Bild newspaper.
Paul P. then suddenly lost consciousness and showed no signs of circulation. First responders initiated resuscitation measures immediately, according to the Frankfurt Fire Department.
According to Bild, the Moroccan is now being investigated for “bodily injury resulting in death.”
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To clarify the cause of death, an autopsy will be performed in the next few days. The 16-year-old suspect continues to sit in pre-trial detention.
The two soccer clubs expressed sorrow over the death of Paul P.
“This unexpected tragedy has stunned the entire BFC community and touched our hearts deeply. Paul, who would have celebrated only his 16th birthday this fall, was an extraordinary young person. He embodied the spirit of BFC with every fiber of his heart and soul,” the Berlin soccer team wrote on Wednesday.
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“The violence on soccer fields must come to an end,” stressed the officials of the “Germany Cup” in a statement. The officials noted that the events on the soccer field in Frankfurt’s Eckenheim district were incomprehensibly sad.
“We are devastated,” said the tournament organizers.
