© AFP
BSC Young Boys is last in the Champions League with 0 points after six matchdays. On Wednesday they lost 5-1 on the field of Stuttgart, but not a single Swiss thought about that after the match. The night before, terrible news had reached the players’ hotel.
Striker Meschack Elia was hit by a personal tragedy. The 4-year-old son of the 27-year-old Congolese died unexpectedly during a visit to Congo with his mother and twin brother. The boy is said to have died after a short period of illness.
On Tuesday evening, Elia, who tested for Anderlecht in 2019, received the terrible news, after which he logically collapsed. Press chief Albert Staudenmann explains what happened in the players’ hotel: “The team tried to support him. And because words were not enough, his teammates tried to comfort him with gestures and hugs.”
Elia was driven back to Bern by the club from where he will travel to Congo. The teammates decided to play against Stuttgart despite the drama: “We spoke to the players. Not a single player said he didn’t want to play.” There was a minute’s silence before the match. When the Swiss surprisingly took the lead, goalscorer Lukasz Lakomy dedicated the goal to Elia by showing a shirt with the attacker’s name on it. Opponent Stuttgart also wanted to support the attacker. After the game they took a picture with a shirt that said: “Elia, we are with you.”
© REUTERS
This contains inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not given permission for this.
This contains inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not given permission for this.
This contains inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not given permission for this.
