A current research by the Correctiv media house and the football magazine 11 friends indicates a frightening dimension of abuse of power in German football. A case that is currently being negotiated before the Essen district court reveals the dilemma for clubs and associations.
“Not public session” is often at the door of Saal 244 of the Essen Regional Court. The sign always shines when the presumably affected are invited as witnesses. The statements of the seven mostly minor boys take several hours. You have to tell and live your story again.
The accused, on the other hand, is silent. So far, the former football coach has not commented on the allegations. Among other things, the public prosecutor accuses him of serious sexual abuse of children in 153 cases, as well as dangerous bodily harm, threat and coercion. The presumably affected: seven boys, between 9 and 15 years old at the time of the crime.
“I think it’s terrifying”says Henry. Because the procedure is reminiscent of the young man, who is actually called differently, of his own story. Last year his former football coach in Munich was on trial. At that time, the process had caused great perception due to the dimension. The court saw much more than 600 acts of sexual assault and rape to 25 players as proven.
The accused had made a confession right at the beginning of the proceedings before the Munich District Court. As a result, he has achieved a milder punishment for himself and saved many people affected in court – also Henry. After it was clear that his trainer had to go to prison for seven and a half years, Henry told his story.
In the WDR documentary “I am stronger than you”, he described how the “treatments”, referred to by the perpetrator as physiotherapy, had actually expired that it was serious sexual violence. The convict had specifically and perfidiously exploited the relationship and the trust of the boys, manipulated the enthusiastic footballers. Some called “brainwashing”.
Also affected people from WDR documentary
The procedure was a way for him, according to Henry, to conclude with what happened: “In the beginning I had the feeling that I feel bad forever. That it will affect me forever and I can never have a happy life again.” Since the verdict a year and a half ago, however, he has noticed “That it is not that. I get up every morning with a laugh and I enjoy the day. I have a good feeling when I go through the day.”
Henry tells his story and reports to speak of the deeds because he wants to sensitize others and encourage those affected. That is why he also participated in the current online survey of the magazine 11 friends and the Correctiv media house.
“I think it’s a very important topic that needs to be treated further”Henry says a few days ago in an interview with Sportschau and Deutschlandfunk. With the story of his story, he linked the hope that “More and more people stand up and report and say what happened to them”.
Border violations, Bullying, humiliation, Rape
500 people took part in the survey and, according to 11 friends and correction, reported from border violations, bullying, humiliation to rapes. “A giant step”knows Henry from his own experience: “I think that’s incredibly strong that they have contacted them.” However, it is also clear to him that there has to be a lot more affected in football.
This also indicates the research of 11 friends and correction: The team has investigated sexual violence in football context and, according to its own information, has come across 37 such procedures in the past five years, with at least 130 minors.
“Affected people find it difficult to file a complaint”
“We know from our studies that those affected are very difficult for violence to file a formal advertisement at all, to report to ask for help”says the Cologne sports sociologist Bettina Rulofs. She has been researching physical, psychological and sexualized violence in sports for years and assumes that “That the cases that arrive at the public prosecutor are only a small excerpt of the problem”.
According to statistics, there are around 2.4 million memberships of children and adolescents up to the age of 18 in German football clubs. Numerous things are likely to have experienced something similar to Henry and at least according to the indictment the boys in Essen.
Already allegations against the Essen coach
During the trial in front of the Essen district court, it becomes clear: In 2011, a minor footballer at the time had filed a complaint against the now accused coach and described deeds that he is said to have committed to him – between 2008 and 2011. The public prosecutor’s office Duisburg hired the procedure. According to information from Sportschau and Deutschlandfunk, a statement psychological report apparently considered the descriptions of the young footballer to be insufficiently credible at the time.
Courtive building in Essen
That could have been a serious misjudgment. There are more than thirteen years between the first advertisement and the current process. During this time, the accused was able to continue working as a coach and – as the public prosecutor now accuses him of – do serious violence for the children he trained.
According to Sportschau information, the accused did not have a coaching license. It is not mandatory, but if you don’t have a license, you will not receive any training courses and awareness of child protection. Even without a license, the accused was able to provide training in at least five clubs in the Ruhr area and Düsseldorf.
“It seems that data protection is about child protection”
“Club shopping” Calls sports sociologist Bettina Rulofs this behavior. She describes cases in which trainers “Exercise violence, apparently when they are uncovered in an association, go to the next club and become conspicuous here again”. The possibility of warning other clubs do not exist here: “It seems that data protection is faced with child protection”Rulofs describes her knowledge from technical discussions in which this problem is repeatedly discussed.
The problem is also known in the DFB for a long time. Vice President Ronny Zimmermann recommends his clubs an informal way if a new trainer applies – inquiries from the previous association: “You don’t necessarily have to say that there is a suspicion, but you can just say that it is difficult, we had problems and that’s why it didn’t work.”
It is not known whether this happened in the case of the accused in Essen. He is said to have committed the deeds that he was charged between 2008 and 2025. A father describes that he had pretended to be a police officer and was more guest of the family. So the parents would not have a suspicion and their children would have allowed their children to stay with the coach with a sure feeling.
Among other things, in his Essen apartment, the severe sexual assault, physical abuse (with electric shockers), is said to have occurred. The defendant is also said to have threatened the children to do something if they reported about the actions.
According to the DFB Vice President Ronny Zimmermann, it is difficult for the association to get concrete information about the actions of courts. “If we know facts, we can see what you can do differently and better”he says.
Henry stimulates Prevention campaign to
Anyone who learns this process in Essen – even outside the door – learns a lot about structures in football that promote attacks. Subjects from which the DFB could probably also gain numerous knowledge for its prevention work. Henry has very specific ideas about how the DFB attitude could show when it comes to prevention sexual violence.
He thinks of the campaigns against racism that are very important to him: for example before international teams or short sports before playing champions League “Say no to racism”: “I think everyone who has played football knows this clip. I wish for exactly the same for prevention sexual violence. So that everyone sees: there is a topic that needs to be treated.”