Soccer fan dies after fall during Nations League final between Spain and Portugal

Article content

A soccer fan died during Sunday’s Nations League final between Spain and Portugal after falling from an overhead level onto the media section below.

“A man fell from the middle tier to the lower tier, onto a staircase near the press area, and unfortunately died at the scene,” Munich police spokesman Tobias Schenk said Monday.

“As always in such cases, the Munich police have taken over the investigation. Criminal police are on site, witnesses are being interviewed and videos reviewed. At this time, there’s no evidence of anything but a tragic accident.”

The fatal fall occurred during the first period of extra time at the Munich stadium, when tension was high between rival players, and fans were becoming more animated.

Shocked spectators called for help and medical personnel, stewards and police cordoned off the area. Medics used a tarpaulin to shield the scene from view as doctors tried to save the man’s life.

“We can’t give more details at the moment, except to say the man was from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area,” Schenk said.

Portugal went on to win the game on penalties.

Both coaches addressed the incident in their postgame news conferences.

“Before we begin with the questions, I would like to express my condolences because a fan died in the stands today. My condolences to the family,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.

“We’re mourning the fan who died,” Portugal counterpart Roberto Martinez said. “It’s very sad news.”

Earlier this year, a baseball fan in Pittsburgh suffered serious injuries after falling over a railing onto the field.

Kavan Markwood suffered serious injuries after falling from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.

Markwood was admitted to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition, but has made substantial progress since the fall.