Former professional footballer Jonas Hummels has detailed widespread institutional silence and systemic blind spots surrounding child sexual abuse in German youth soccer, following an extensive journalistic investigation, spiegel.de and gmx.at reported. Three million children play soccer across Germany, meaning safeguarding failures affect a vast number of young people.
Jonas Hummels Investigates Child Sexual Abuse in Youth Soccer
Jonas Hummels transitioned from playing professional football to working as a journalist, leading him to examine safeguarding practices within sports clubs. His reporting culminated in the documentary production titled Tatort Jugendfußball
(gmx.at). The project features multiple athletes speaking openly about their experiences of abuse within sporting environments (gmx.at). The documentary is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 09:00 local time on the ZDF streaming portal, followed by a broadcast on the main ZDF television channel at 22:45 local time (gmx.at).
Converging Case Studies and the Role of Unqualified Treatments
The investigation expanded significantly following a series of events in 2023. Hummels learned of a youth coach from the greater Munich area who was convicted of child sexual abuse, perpetrators often exploiting physical therapy routines to approach and isolate young athletes (gmx.at). Concurrently, the player agent scrutinized in the investigation allegedly administered physical treatments to players despite possessing no medical training, formal qualifications as a physiotherapist, or a medical degree (gmx.at).
Following exposure to separate investigative reporting regarding a tennis coach and consultations with former teammates, Hummels re-engaged with Jonathan Sachse in September 2023 to launch a comprehensive journalistic inquiry (gmx.at). The resulting documentary examines three primary case files alongside numerous firsthand accounts from affected individuals, revealing that abuse occurs across diverse settings within youth sports structures (gmx.at).
Institutional Naivety and the Burden of Silence
Reflecting on the findings, Hummels expressed shock at the sheer scale of the issue and the pervasive naivety embedded within sporting organizations (gmx.at). We all love football, and I believe we all look less critically or sometimes away,
Hummels stated regarding club and governing body responses (gmx.at).
The investigation highlights that silence among victims is predominantly driven by overwhelming feelings of shame and misplaced guilt (gmx.at). Highlighting a central tenet of modern safeguarding advocacy, Hummels stressed that societal and institutional messaging must firmly establish that the shame must change sides,
affirming that children subjected to sexual violence bear no responsibility for abuse perpetrated against them (gmx.at). Survivors interviewed for the project exhibit varied coping mechanisms, with many reporting enduring psychological impacts that continue to influence their adult lives (gmx.at).
Related reading
