Minute of silence for deceased youth footballer before the cup final

A minute’s silence marked the violent death of a 15-year-old youth player before the DFB Cup final between RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt.

The cup finalists remembered the deceased 15-year-old youth player from Berlin with a minute’s silence.Jan Woitas/dpa

Berlin–A minute’s silence commemorated the violent death of a 15-year-old youth player from Berlin before the DFB Cup final between RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Both teams gathered around the center circle. Referee Daniel Siebert whistled for a minute’s silence. Both fan camps stopped choreographing and cheering. The DFB call “Together against violence” could be read on a banner and the gangs.

“It’s a tragedy, and I think it’s good that the DFB has decided to hold a minute’s silence before the game and calls for action to be taken against violence,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during the half-time break on pay-TV Channel Sky.

The young footballer from JFC Berlin was critically injured in a physical attack by an opponent last Sunday in Frankfurt am Main and died on Wednesday. The alleged perpetrator, a 16-year-old from France, is said to have hit the Berlin boy on the head from behind. He is in custody and, according to his club FC Metz, denies intentionally injuring the boy.