16-year-old Newton Opoku-Mensah from Fortuna’s U17 team was found by divers and resuscitated, but later died in hospital.
Opoku-Mensah was initially found and resuscitated by divers on Tuesday evening. Despite all efforts, he later died in hospital. The exact circumstances of the accident are still unclear.
The 16-year-old was at the lake with his soccer camp and teammates, a spokeswoman for the Duisburg police confirmed when asked by t-online. His teammates witnessed the incident. Investigations into the cause of death are currently underway. A result is not expected until Thursday at the earliest. The spokeswoman did not want to be more specific: “That would all be speculation.”
The news of the young footballer’s sudden death caused deep dismay at Fortuna Düsseldorf. “We are deeply shocked and cannot believe this news,” said sports director Klaus Allofs in an initial statement from the club.
Allofs also expressed his deepest sympathy: “Newton was a young man who lived his dream and has now died far too early. Our condolences and deepest sympathy go out to Newton’s family and loved ones, as well as to all of his teammates and the entire team in our NLZ.”
The death of the young talent leaves a deep gap at his club. Training and matches for all youth teams from U9 to U19 have been suspended until further notice.
