Broken kidneys from pain killers
Ex-professional Ivan Klasnic receives four million euros in compensation from former Werder doctors
Ivan Klasnic in January 2020 at a celebrity kick in Emsland
© Picture Alliance
Late admission: The former Werder Bremen team doctors are to blame for the fact that ex-professional Ivan Klasnic sustained severe kidney damage. Now he collects four million euros in compensation after a settlement.
After twelve years, a legal dispute between the former professional footballer Ivan Klasnic and two former team doctors from Werder Bremen has come to an end. In a settlement, the parties agreed that Klasnic will receive four million euros in compensation for pain and suffering. Klasnic had suffered severe kidney damage after years of taking painkillers prescribed for him by the doctors. The 40-year-old has now had three transplants and his health will continue to be restricted.
“At least the doctors were now ready to express their regret about the incidents in comparison,” said Klasnic’s lawyer Matthias Teichner. “In my opinion, this was long overdue.” Compensation is paid by insurance companies, the doctors themselves are not prosecuted.
Only doctors outside of Germany sounded the alarm
The difficult fate of the Croatian attacker, who played for Werder Bremen and FC St. Pauli, highlighted drug abuse among professional footballers. Klasnic’s poor kidney values were only detected in 2005 before an appendix operation by external doctors, who immediately sounded the alarm. The former Werder team doctors Götz Dimanski and Manja Guha had initially denied any guilt. The bad blood values must have been known long in advance – without them acting. One of the doctors’ excuses at the time was that Klasnic had had previous damage and that his kidney failure could not be prevented.
The now agreed settlement, about the exact content of which both parties are silent, should be a satisfaction for the ex-professional. The Bremen district court had initially awarded Klasnic 100,000 euros. Klasnic and his lawyer Teichner did not accept the judgment and moved on to the Higher Regional Court, where the proceedings lasted another year. Lawyer Teichner considers the amount now agreed to be “more suitable for creating a feeling of justice”. However, “no money in the world can make up for the considerable and permanent damage to my client’s health”. Dem stern Klasnic recently said: “Looking back, I am very proud of it myself. The key was probably to remain positive, despite many setbacks. I wanted to show myself. And also to the people. I never gave up, even if there were days when it was very difficult. ”
First footballer in the world to run aground with a donor organ
The judgment also does not shed a good light on Werder Bremen’s behavior at the time. The club with which Klasnic won the championship and cup double in 2004 had rejected any responsibility. Nevertheless, after his first kidney transplant in 2007, Klasnic extended his contract with Werder for one year. In November 2007 he became the first professional footballer in the world to play with a donor organ in one of the highest leagues in the Siel against Energie Cottbus. In 2008 they parted ways. After stints at Bolton Wanderers and FC Nantes, the Croatian ended his career at Mainz 05 in 2013. Today he lives in Hamburg and works as a player’s agent.
Sources: “Sportschau.de”, DPA
