Sports firecracker explosion in the stadium
A co-defendant describes the crime in a shaky voice
As of: 1:39 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
A firecracker explodes during the Bundesliga game between FC Augsburg and 1899 Hoffenheim. 14 people are injured, including children. A fan is taken into custody. At the start of the trial he confesses. The co-defendant reports threatening calls.
At the beginning of the criminal trial over a violent firecracker explosion in the Augsburg football stadium, the main defendant admitted the crime and asked the victims to apologize. “I’m deeply sorry,” said the 28-year-old on Monday at the start of the trial at the Augsburg regional court. “It was never my intention to hurt anyone, especially children.”
The man from Göppingen described in a statement how he threw a firecracker from the guest block towards the field on November 11, 2023 during the Bundesliga game between FC Augsburg and TSG Hoffenheim (1:1). This detonated near fans. According to the indictment, 14 people were injured, including five children. They suffered mainly from blast trauma and shock; A 14-year-old boy also had to be treated for a flesh wound caused by flying firecrackers. The game was briefly interrupted.
The main defendant (right) hides in the Augsburg courtroom alongside other defendants from lawyer Harald Stehr (center) in the dock
Source: dpa/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the 28-year-old, who is in custody, of causing an explosive explosion and causing grievous bodily harm. Three other Hoffenheim fans have been charged with him and are at risk of being convicted of aiding and abetting.
Richter is honorary president of the Bavarian Football Association
Two of them also commented on the incidents from the fall on Monday. In a statement, a defense attorney read out that his client had no idea how dangerous the firecracker was. The second co-defendant said in a partly shaky voice that he had not assumed that his friend would actually set off the firecracker. After the crime he received threatening calls and was called a bastard and a murderer. He also apologized to the victims and said that he was distancing himself from the crime.
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The trial was initially postponed last week because a lay judge was in the stadium at the game and therefore had to be replaced for the proceedings; two defense attorneys rejected him because of bias.
Four days of negotiations were originally scheduled; Initially it was unclear on Monday whether the presiding judge Christoph Kern – who also happens to be honorary president of the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) – would have to set further hearing dates.
