Fortuna Düsseldorf, a German Bundesliga 2 team, has revealed the untimely death of Newton Opoku-Mensah, a Ghanaian-born player for the youth team.
According to the club, Opoku-Mensah got into a swimming mishap at a Duisburg lake.
He passed away in the hospital from his wounds in spite of the rescue attempts.
“Training and matches for all youth teams, from U9 to U19, have been suspended until further notice. The Fortuna family extends its condolences to Newton’s relatives, the entire U17 team, and the staff at the youth development centre,” the club stated.
Klaus Allofs, Board Member for Sports & Communication at Fortuna Düsseldorf, expressed deep sorrow: “We are deeply shocked and cannot fathom this news. Newton was a young man who was living his dream and has now passed away far too soon. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy go out to Newton’s family and relatives, as well as to all his teammates and the entire team at our youth performance centre.”
Fortuna’s youth teams, ranging from U9 to U19, have suspended all practices and games indefinitely in response to this tragedy.
The Düsseldorf U17 team’s season opener against VfL Bochum, which was originally set for August 11, has been rescheduled.
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