Bayern Munich’s Champions League win against Benfica Lisbon on Wednesday was overshadowed by a death of a fan.
About an hour after the final whistle, the German team received “the sad news” that a fan had died on the way to hospital, the club said.
The spectator had fallen ill shortly after kick-off and was given emergency medical treatment in the stands before being transported to hospital.
“FC Bayern is in mourning alongside their relatives,” the club wrote in a press release on its website. Out of respect, Bayern fans in the south curve area where the supporters sit refrained from their usual loud support during the match.
“There are definitely more important things in life than football,” said sporting director Max Eberl. He said the fans showed appropriate respect with their behaviour.
“After the game, we didn’t celebrate much,” coach Vincent Kompany said. The team only found out about the fan’s death after the match, he said.
Following the final whistle, the stadium announcer informed the audience in the sold-out 75,000-seat arena about the incident and why the fans cheering had been absent. Music was also more subdued than usual after the match, which was won by a header from Jamal Musiala.
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