Frankfurt fan injured in fall at Paderborn as two Bundesliga matches halt support

Two Bundesliga matches on 7 November were disrupted by medical emergencies in the stands, and fans stopped supporting their teams in both. The most serious case came at Paderborn, where a Frankfurt supporter fell from a railing in the guest block shortly before kickoff. The match there ended 2:2.

Fall in the guest block

The fan fell several metres over a railing and was taken to hospital by ambulance with a head injury. A club spokesperson said his condition was stable and that he was conscious again. Bild reported, citing its own information, that he fell four metres head first while trying to climb the fence of the guest block. DAZN commentator Marco Hagemann told viewers at the start of the second half that the fan's condition was critical, which differs from the club's account. The most recent reports on his condition date from the afternoon of 7 November.

Two stoppages, one banner

Both fan groups at Paderborn stopped cheering for their teams for the entire match, and the stadium announcer asked spectators to keep the mood subdued. Paderborn supporters hung a banner reading "Gute Besserung", German for "get well soon", in the stadium at halftime. In Mainz, the match between Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich was also paused for several minutes after a doctor was deployed to the Bayern block. A person who had initially been unconscious was, according to a Mainz club spokesperson, conscious again by the time of reporting.

Reactions from Frankfurt

Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter explicitly thanked the Paderborn fans and hosts for their conduct and solidarity. He said he found their gesture great.

“For me, the sport and the result today have taken a back seat. Our thoughts are with our fan.”

Captain Robin Koch wished the injured fan a full and quick recovery on behalf of the whole team. Koch, a central defender, also described how the players experienced the moment on the pitch.

“You don't know what happened. But you notice something is wrong. Then you realise again that there are more important things than the game and football.”

Match in brief

On the pitch, Jonathan Burkardt gave Frankfurt the lead in the 23rd minute, before Raphael Obermair (45th minute) and Marvin Pieringer, from a penalty (73rd minute), put newly promoted Paderborn ahead. Elias Baum was shown a second yellow card in the 75th minute, and Frankfurt then played the remainder of the match with ten men. Burkardt struck again in the third minute of stoppage time with a backheel, and the assist came from Frankfurt's own goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, leaving the final score at 2:2.

The sequence of key moments is shown above.