2023-09-28 11:12:59
Gersbeck appeared remorseful in court on Thursday. He was very sorry, he told the judge. He wanted to apologize to the victim of the beating, which he did immediately in the courtroom. The two goalkeepers – one at Hertha BSC in the second German Bundesliga, the other at EK Zell am See in the second highest Austrian ice hockey league – shook hands in a sporting manner. The Berlin native then paid 40,000 euros to the court during the proceedings.
As a result, Gersbeck remains blameless and no entry is made in the criminal register. After the invoice was paid on the spot, the proceedings were finally stopped. Although the diversion is not yet legally binding, an objection by the public prosecutor is not considered very likely.
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APA/BARBARA GINDL Marius Gersbeck at the trial in Salzburg APA/BARBARA GINDL The 28-year-old pleaded guilty and paid a fine of 40,000 euros to the court APA/BARBARA GINDL Previously, he had paid the victim generous compensation for damages, it was said at the trial
Judge: Accepted responsibility for crime
But that doesn’t mean Gersbeck is buying his freedom, the judge said. The defendant took responsibility for his crime and there was no serious guilt. There is also a certain provocation from the victim. The defendant is blameless and has already paid generous compensation for damages in an undisclosed amount. In addition, Gersbeck was also suspended from Hertha BSC following the incident and was also punished.
Of course, it was not foreseeable that the matter would end so peacefully: the attack in the summer on the edge of a Hertha BSC training camp in Zell am See was violent. Gersbeck is said to have sneaked out of the hotel that evening to go out with ultras from the Berlin football club. The 28-year-old is said to have had a confrontation with a local in a bar.
Multiple fractures to the face
According to the prosecution, the argument escalated outdoors. The footballer hit the 22-year-old from Pinzgau several times in the face with his fist. The man crashed into a mailbox and was left unconscious. According to the victim’s friend, the footballer then kicked the defenseless victim. The Pinzgauer was admitted to the Tauern Clinic in Zell am See. He suffered multiple fractures to his face. He nevertheless accepted his attacker’s apology on Thursday.
The case made waves
The case didn’t just make waves in the football club. Across Europe, TV sports channels such as Sky and Sport 1 and major newspapers such as the “Frankfurter Allgemeine”, the “Bild” newspaper and specialist magazines such as “kicker” reported on the case: from the “beating scandal” to the “beating scandal”. There was talk of being a “beating professional”. In the trial for serious bodily harm, the punishment was between six months and five years in prison.
Club: “Second chance” for goalkeeper not ruled out
Goalkeeper Gersbeck, a father of three small children and a father of three small children, has been suspended from team training at his club since the incident. Not only because of the police investigation, but also because he had left the team hotel without permission, as the club announced in a club announcement at the time.
But following the end of the trial, Hertha BSC said regarding a possible comeback for the goalkeeper: “In this situation, taking into account the interests of everyone involved, we do not rule out that Marius Gersbeck will be given a second chance. We will discuss this internally and decide promptly,” said Hertha managing director Thomas Herrich shortly following the trial once morest Gersbeck on Thursday.
The 28-year-old had only returned from Karlsruher SC to his youth club in Berlin for the 2023/24 season and was supposed to lead the young team on the hoped-for path back to the Bundesliga. Hertha BSC is currently in the middle of the second German league.
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