Sports Medical Emergency
Cologne professional footballer collapses during third division game in Regensburg
Status: 11.12.2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Shocking moment: Cologne’s Simon Handle remained motionless on the ground
Source: dpa/Wolfgang Zink
An incident occurred during the third division game between Jahn Regensburg and Viktoria Köln. A player remained dazed after an action and was treated on the soccer field for eight minutes. He was later able to give the all-clear, but is expected to remain in hospital overnight.
The third division football match between Jahn Regensburg and Viktoria Köln (1:1) was overshadowed by a medical incident among the guests on Sunday. Cologne midfielder Simon Handle collapsed in the 49th minute and remained dazed. The 30-year-old was treated on the pitch for eight minutes before he was taken to hospital with a suspected concussion. The people of Cologne announced in the evening that Handle was in a stable condition. He is scheduled to return to Cologne on Monday.
“During the action, Simon bit his tongue very hard as he fell, then he briefly became unconscious. But he is approachable, stable and can remember everything,” said Cologne sports director Franz Wunderlich in an interview with “Bild”.
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After a set piece from the hosts, Handle remained lying down and his teammates formed a circle around him. It became quiet in the stadium. The paramedics took care of Handle, who was then responsive and was transported from the pitch on a mobile stretcher to the applause of the 7,104 spectators. “The goal and the point are also for Simon,” said Viktoria goalscorer Jonah Sticker on “Magenta Sport”.
Dresden ends sporting crisis
Regensburg remains the confident leader with 41 points, but their pursuer Dynamo Dresden was able to reduce the gap to four points. After three recent defeats, the Saxons defeated SpVgg Unterhaching 2:1 (1:1). Jakob Lemmer (32nd) gave the home team the lead on Sunday evening in front of 25,272 spectators. Nine minutes later, Dresden defender Claudio Kammerknecht was sent off for an intentional handball in the penalty area. Patrick Hobsch (41′) safely converted the penalty. While the guests were unable to exploit their numerical superiority, Dresden’s captain Stefan Kutschke (75th) scored the hosts’ victory with a penalty kick.
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In the first half hour, both teams largely neutralized each other in midfield. While the guests mainly concentrated on defensive work, the SGD tried to add playful elements. As in the previous weeks, the struggling Saxons achieved little success. Lemmer’s goal resulted from the first consistent attack of the game. Even the opening goal didn’t really give the SGD any stability. It was only in the second half and when they were outnumbered that the home team fought their way into the game. Kutschke’s winning goal was deserved, also because the newcomer from Unterhaching showed far too little initiative. Apart from the huge chance from former Dresden player Matthias Fetsch (90th), there were no clear offensive actions.
