The incident turned into a tragedy. "After Sunday's fight ... between young players from Metz and Berlin, a 15-year-old boy died in hospital as a result of his serious brain injuries," German police said in a statement. The victim, aged 15; had been hit in the head and throat by a 16-year-old French player, from a training program of FC Metz, during a youth tournament in Frankfurt, in which teams from 16 different countries, mostly European, participated.
Investigation and autopsy
The suspect is still in pre-trial detention, said Frankfurt police, who are continuing their investigation into the course of events. "In order to clarify the circumstances of (the death of the young German), an autopsy will be performed in the coming days," she added.
The deceased teenager, who belonged to the German team JFC Berlin, had so far been kept alive so that he could donate his organs, said the spokeswoman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office, Nadja Niesen.
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On Tuesday, the French club, "deeply shocked by this tragedy", had not specified the age and 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".
Another football match degenerated in Trappes last April. A young man had been sentenced to two years in prison, sixteen months of which were suspended, for having broken the palace of a 16-year-old player.