The suspect, who according to Bild newspaper is a Moroccan living in France, ended up in pre-trial detention. He is being prosecuted for bodily harm resulting in death, for which he could receive up to ten years in a juvenile facility.
According to the investigators, the attacker first attacked another player of the Berlin team with his fists, before attacking 15-year-old Paul. He managed to escape, but the perpetrator did not give up and hit the victim hard in the head and neck from behind, as confirmed by public prosecutor Nadja Niesenová.
The attacker then left, even though the victim collapsed to the ground. The rescuers were still performing resuscitation attempts on the playground, after which they transported the boy to the hospital. There, doctors discovered that Paul had suffered a serious brain injury, from which he died three days later. Meanwhile, Niesen confirmed that the victim will become an organ donor.
“Necessary Self-Defense”
The suspect’s attorney said his client is innocent. According to him, the fight was provoked by the players of the Berlin team. “My client acted in necessary self-defense,” the lawyer said, adding that it was a “dynamic process where no one knew who, how and where he was dealing the blows.”
Meanwhile, the French club issued a statement saying it was “deeply shaken” by the tragedy and that all the players present, as well as their parents, were available to the German authorities to properly investigate the incident. According to the club’s statement, the detained footballer denies that he wanted to intentionally injure an opponent from the Berlin team.
Tragedy in Rostov-on-Don: The tribune fell during a children’s football match
Foreign
Tags: #16yearold football player France killed opponent Germany year younger postmatch fight
