FRANKFURT: All players in the German leagues today and tomorrow will wear black armbands and stage a one-minute pre-game silence in memory of the victims of the Berlin Christmas market terrorist attack writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
Twelve people were killed and around 50 injured after a hijacked, Polish-registered lorry ploughed into the market near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the centre of the city.
A statement from the German league said: “The Bundesliga will be commemorating the victims of the tragedy in Berlin with a minute’s silence at all matches held on Tuesday and Wednesday. As well as this, the players will also wear black armbands.”
DFL president Reinhard Rauball said: “In this way, we want to express our solidarity with the victims’ families as well as the citizens of our capital city.
“The thoughts of professional football go out to the families of those who were killed as well as the numerous people who were injured, whom we wish a speedy and full recovery. We are all deeply shocked by what happened on Monday evening at a peaceful Christmas market.”
German Chancellor AngelaMerkel said that the was considered as a terrorist attack, adding: “I know that it would be particularly difficult for all of us to bear if it would be confirmed that this deed was carried out by a person who sought protection and asylum in Germany.”
She said she was “horrified, shaken and deeply sad.”
Shortly after the attack police later arrested a man they suspected to have been the driver. The man, a 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February from the Balkans, had denied wrongdoing and has been released.
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