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"Violence must have no place in our society," the DFL wrote on Twitter.

Photo: Tom Weller / dpa

The German Football League held a minute's silence before the relegation first leg between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV in memory of the 15-year-old, who was killed in a youth tournament. There was a moment of silence before kick-off on Thursday evening in the Stuttgart Arena.

The young footballer from JFC Berlin was critically injured last Sunday in Frankfurt am Main in an assault by an opponent and died on Wednesday.

German football has reacted with great sympathy to the violent death and wants to send a signal of mourning and against violence with a number of actions. "This incredibly sad and shocking act in the context of a football tournament for juniors leaves us speechless, but not inactive. On the contrary, it is an ultimate call to all of us to oppose violence even more decisively – in football as well as in society as a whole," DFB President Bernd Neuendorf appealed on Thursday.

"Violence must have no place in our society," the DFL wrote on Twitter. She announced that the action would also take place before the relegation match between third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden and second-division club Arminia Bielefeld this Friday.

According to the German Football Association, there will be a mixed team photo behind a bilingual banner with the message "Together against violence" at the U17 European Championship final between Germany and France on Friday evening in Budapest. Both teams will play in mourning flor, and a minute's silence is planned before kick-off.

»Together against violence«

Signs of mourning are also planned for the DFB-Pokal final between Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig on Saturday in Berlin and the 21 finals in the national cup competitions. Accordingly, the call "Together against Violence" – accompanied by the stadium announcement and a moment of pause – will be shown on the video screen in all stadiums. In addition, on the recommendation of the Berlin Football Association, there will be minutes of silence before all games in the capital on Saturday.

"We are sending this signal together in these sad days, from the grassroots to the top," announced DFB boss Neuendorf, adding: "Together with his teammates and friends, we mourn the loss of a boy whose great passion was football."

The alleged perpetrator, a 16-year-old from France, is said to have hit the Berlin boy on the head from behind. He is in custody and, according to his club FC Metz, denies intentionally injuring the boy.

KIM/DPA