A coach has died at a youth training camp run by record German soccer champions FC Bayern Munich in Riesa, Saxony. According to media reports, the honorary coach from Afghanistan collapsed on the pitch of the Feralpi Arena during the lunch break on Monday and later died in hospital despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services.
119 boys and girls from Riesa and the surrounding area had been looking forward to five days of training with the Bayern coaches. "Ashgar (...) collapsed on the pitch of the Feralpi Arena during the lunch break. In the afternoon, we received the sad news that Ashgar lost his life in hospital," BSG Stahl Riesa, which has a three-year contract with the Munich team to run the camps, announced on its website.
Out of respect and sympathy for the deceased and his family, FC Bayern ended the campus training session early. The Munich club confirmed the details of the tragic death on request.
Bayern reacts in dismay
"We are all dismayed and shocked by the tragic incident during our FC Bayern Campus training session in Riesa. There are no words for such a situation, our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family, relatives and friends," FC Bayern wrote in an email to the parents. The children, parents and coaches have also been offered psychological support.
The deceased coach had been in charge of an U13 youth team in Austria. His home club TSV Hartberg wrote on Instagram: "With his always friendly, helpful and professional manner, he was very popular with all players, parents, colleagues and officials. His sudden death tears a deep hole in our club."
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