View of Würzburg city center. Hohenlohe footballers suffered significant injuries during a nighttime excursion. Photo: Imago. Funke Photo Services (small) / dpa (large)
Karl-Heinz Sschläger still expresses his disbelief days later. Even on Thursday, the manager of the top league soccer team FSV Hollenbach still cannot understand what happened in downtown Würzburg on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
“The entire club is shocked and speechless,” says Karl-Heinz Sschläger. The situation is similar with the North Baden association league team VfR Gommersdorf: “It leaves you stunned. The whole thing could have turned out much worse,” says Jörg Olkus, the team manager.
Celebration trip to Würzburg ends dramatically for footballers from Hollenbach and Gommersdorf
This is what happened: After Hollenbacher’s 1-0 Oberliga home win against Offenburger FV, some FSV players, a VfR player and other friends went to Würzburg to celebrate. The players have known each other for ages and have played together for a long time.
At around 3.45 a.m. the group of six was walking in the area of Gerberstrasse opposite the “Katze” club, looking for an early morning snack. There they were attacked by up to ten young men – for no reason, as it was said. The “Fränkische Nachrichten” first reported about it.
Three of the footballers managed to escape, another saved himself by jumping dangerously into the Main. “They ran for their lives,” says Karl-Heinz Sschläger. Two of the Hohenlohe footballer group were victims of a real excess of violence. “Even though they were already covered in blood, they continued to be beaten,” said Sschläger.
Victims suffer significant injuries – players from VfR Gommersdorf particularly affected
As the Würzburg police announced, they found a 21-year-old bleeding profusely in the Juliuspromenade during the period mentioned, who was immediately taken to a hospital. Two victims of the beating suffered multiple fractures of their jaw and facial bones. Both were operated on that night.
The VfR Gommersdorf player was probably the worst hit. He had a meeting with trainer Peter Hogen on Sunday morning, which he canceled at short notice. Much to the astonishment of trainer and co: “None of us knew the background,” says Jörg Olkus.
The Gommersdorf player has been operated on several times since the incident. “He is in contact with his teammates, they write to each other,” says Jörg Olkus: “We will do something from the team and the club, but not now, when we don’t even know whether he will ever eat a schnitzel again can.”
Würzburg police have so far no investigations into the beating attack
Dramatic words after a dramatic situation. “It would be a drama within a drama if the perpetrators were not caught,” says Olkus. However, the police have not yet announced any concrete investigation results. The perpetrators have fled and are currently unknown, explained Sabine Ossi from the Würzburg City Police Department Agree-Demand.
“We are investigating in all directions. There are currently no new investigative approaches. Witness interviews that have already been carried out have not yielded any new information about the unknown perpetrators,” said the police spokeswoman. The investigators estimate the number of perpetrators at seven to ten people.
Karl-Heinz Sschläger confirmed that the footballers had made their statements to the police. “Of course we very much hope that the perpetrators can be identified.”
Both clubs will play their games on Saturday
On Tuesday evening, the events in the FSV Hollenbach team were discussed. The shock was deep. Normal training was out of the question. Nevertheless, the collective decision was made not to cancel the game on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) at TSV Essingen. “Maybe it’s a good thing if the boys get something else in their heads. We’ll be smarter on Saturday evening,” says Sschläger. The club has provided psychological help to the players.
“You shouldn’t take it lightly what kind of situations the boys have in their heads,” says Jörg Olkus from VfR Gommersdorf before the game in Bruchsal on Saturday (3:30 p.m.). His players weren’t even aware of the significance of what happened at the beginning of the week, but that has now changed.
Football is a matter of the mind, in a case like this more than ever. The psychological effects will certainly last for a much longer time, long after the physical injuries have healed.
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