The youth tournament turned into drama. During the competition in Frankfurt (Germany) in which teams from 16 different countries, mostly European, participated, a fight broke out after a match between a French team and a German team. "A 16-year-old player from a French football team allegedly hit a 15-year-old Berliner in the head and throat," German police said in a statement.
The French club Metz, which plays in Ligue 2, confirmed that a "young player" from one of its training programs "is currently being heard by the German authorities and denies having deliberately harmed the physical integrity of the injured young player".
The victim of the blows "collapsed on the ground and had to be sent to intensive care, added for its part the German police. Emergency services immediately dropped the young man off at the nearest hospital, where brain injuries were found to be life-threatening. The 16-year-old was arrested and the next day brought before a judge who ordered his pre-trial detention. »
The French club says it is "deeply shocked by this tragedy and sends its most sincere support to the young player, his family and his loved ones". However, it does not specify the age or nationality of the offending player who plays in the FC Metz Performance Program, a structure integrated into the club and which allows "young footballers or educators from around the world to be able to access a high-level training structure," according to its website. Contacted by AFP, the organizers of the tournament refused to give details on the case, saying they were "deeply upset by the events".
