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SOCCER

‘It was unspeakably beautiful’: Dortmund tribute to dead fan

German FA interim president Reinhard Rauball admits being touched by the compassion shown by football fans in Dortmund after a fan died during a Bundesliga match on Sunday.

Published: 14 March 2016 14:08 CET
'It was unspeakably beautiful': Dortmund tribute to dead fan
Photo: DPA

Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 home win over Mainz at their Signal Iduna Park stadium was overshadowed after a 79-year-old collapsed with a suspected heart attack in the south stand and died, despite efforts to revive him, during the first-half.

In a separate emergency, a 55-year-old also collapsed, but was revived on the way to hospital.

The game was played afterwards in near silence as fans in the sold-out 81,000 crowd showed their respect.

“In the name of Borussia Dortmund, I particularly want to thank all the spectators for the sensitivity they showed,” wrote Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke on the club's home page.

After the final whistle, the Dortmund team gathered in front of the club's iconic south stand as the home fans sang an emotional rendition of the club's anthem “You'll Never Walk Alone” in a spontaneous gesture of respect.

“The news circulated quickly via WhatsApp and social media and the news reached the whole stadium, including those from Mainz,” said Rauball, who is also Dortmund's club president.

“I have never experienced something like that before, where the fans have show such dignity, their humanity and marked their grief. It was unspeakably beautiful.

“I'm happy to criticise the fans when they cross the line, but on this occasion they deserve a compliment in the highest terms.

“The honour they showed, with such a feeling for what is appropriate, could not have been expressed better.”

Rauball says the eery atmosphere in the stadium reminded him of what it was like in the Stade de France after the Paris terror attacks of last November 13 following Germany's international friendly.

“Moments like that bring those memories back up,” he said.

Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, who spent the night in the Stade de France stadium with the rest of the Germany squad last November, also made the comparison.

“There were parallels with Paris. Everything was quiet, but also troubled,” said Hummels.

“We knew something had happened, but didn't know what. It was quite strange.

“It was a very good reaction from the public for the fans to start singing this song.”

Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin added: “I had goosebumps. I've never experienced anything like that before.”

Coach Thomas Tuchel said his squads' thoughts after the game were with the man's family.

“We see it everyday: there are far more important things (in life) than a football match.”

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NORWAY

Body found in Oslo flat nine years after death

A man lay dead in his flat for nine years before being discovered in December, police in Oslo have said.

Published: 9 April 2021 11:20 CEST
Body found in Oslo flat nine years after death
Photo by pichet wong from Pexels

The man, who was in his sixties, had been married more than once and also had children, national broadcaster NRK reports.

His name has been kept anonymous. According to neighbours he liked to keep to himself and when they didn’t see him, they thought he had moved or been taken to assisted living.

“Based on the details we have, it is obviously a person who has chosen to have little contact with others,” Grethe Lien Metild, chief of Oslo Police District, told NRK.

His body was discovered when a caretaker for the building he was living in requested police open the apartment so he could carry out his work.

“We have thought it about a lot, my colleagues and people who have worked with this for many years. This is a special case, and it makes us ask questions about how it could happen,” Metild said.

Police believe the man died in April 2011, based on a carton of milk and a letter that were found in his apartment. An autopsy has shown he died of natural causes.

READ ALSO: Immigrants in Norway more likely to be affected by loneliness

His pension was suspended in 2018 when the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) could not get in touch with him, but his bills were still paid out of his bank account and suspended pension fund.

Arne Krokan, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said the man’s death would have unlikely gone unnoticed for so long if he had died 30 years ago.

“In a way, it is the price we have paid to get digital services,” he said to NRK.

Last year 27 people were found in Oslo, Asker or Bærum seven days or more after dying. The year before the number was 32 people. Of these, one was dead for almost seven months before being discovered.

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