01/16/2024 – 19:50
Munich court begins trial of man who allegedly committed more than 800 cases of abuse against around 30 boys who played for a football club. A former football coach from a sports club in a city near Munich, capital of the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany, is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing around 30 boys aged 13 to 19 since 2016.
The former coach was also the club's sporting director and is 47 years old. According to the complaint, he followed the same pattern to commit the crimes. The man told the young people that he was a specialist in physiotherapy and would carry out treatment to promote blood flow to their muscles. Then he started abusing them.
The Prosecutor's Office accused the man of more than 800 cases of sexual abuse. In more than 200 of them, he is accused of rape. The investigation began in early 2022, after one of the victims confided what happened to her parents. The man was arrested in October 2022 and has been detained since then.
What will be the possible punishment for the accused?
The former coach confessed to the crimes. Before that, the judge had declared that a possible confession could reduce his sentence, as the abused young people would no longer need to testify at trial.
In the event of a confession, the judge maintained the prospect of a sentence of seven to eight years in prison. However, he made it clear that this did not necessarily mean that the offender would be released after serving his sentence. A subsequent pre-trial detention in a correctional center or admission to a psychiatric hospital has not been ruled out.
Are there other similar cases in German sport?
This is not the first case of sexual violence in German sport. In a study published in 2022, more than 70 victims described their traumatic experiences.
In the same year, a testimony from former European water diving champion Jan Hempel also caused a stir. He accused his former coach of sexually abusing him repeatedly over 14 years. The coach died in 2001.
There have already been several trials in Germany against former sports coaches for sexually abusing their charges. In 2022, a former gymnastics coach from the state of Thuringia was found guilty of 20 charges and sentenced to three years and two months in prison.
In the current trial in Munich, a significantly larger number of abuse case charges are being considered. The scale is reminiscent of lawsuits from other countries that have gained notoriety, such as that of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, former youth coach of the English football club Manchester City Barry Bennell or the allegations of abuse against the former president of the Haitian Football Association, Yves Jean-Bart.
The Munich-area club, which employed the man now on trial, has been demanding a certificate of good conduct from its coaches for more than a decade. In 2021, before the case became public, the club also established an action protocol on how to protect its players and how to proceed in suspicious cases. However, “you can never be 100% sure,” admitted the club’s managing director after the allegations against the former manager became public.
Since mid-2023, there has been a Safe Sport contact channel in Germany to which any athlete who is a victim of sexual, psychological or physical violence can turn.
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