Football coach admits abuse: process shocks the Main-Taunus

Football coach admits abuse: process shocks the Main-Taunus

A trial against a 28-year-old football coach is causing a stir in the Main-Taunus district. The man had to answer at the Frankfurt regional court for multiple sexual abuse of young people. As the Frankfurter Neue Presse reports, the coach confessed in the first trial that he abused both a 13-year-old boy and several teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16. "It's largely true," he said in court, but denied threatening the young people.

According to the indictment, the extensive abuse is said to have taken place between July 2019 and May 2024. What is particularly worrying is that the coach, who was a footballer in his free time, knew the boys through his coaching role. Such relationships of trust are often the environment in which abuse can flourish. This dynamic is also a central theme at the Processing Commission, which educates about sexual violence in sport and addresses the urgently needed cultural change in the clubs.

Abuse on a shocking scale

In the case of this trainer, there are not only sexual assaults, but also other serious allegations such as exhibitionism, coercion and violations of the Narcotics Act. In addition to the allegations relating to nine different acts, he is also accused of forcing some of the young people to consume cocaine. Apparently the coach himself was heavily burdened with drugs and alcohol, which helped him with depression and drug addiction every hour - a fatal combination that had a terrible impact on the children entrusted to him.

“I used cocaine every day and drank a lot of alcohol,” he admitted. He is said to have resorted to prostitution to finance his addiction. This shocking revelation shines a harsh light on the fragility of his situation and the addictions that can arise from drug use. This case has given new fuel to the international discussion about sexual abuse in sport and is making people sit up and take notice.

Serious consequences for the club

Immediately after the allegations became known, the TuS Hornau club took a clear position and separated from the coach. Such steps are important in order to send a clear signal against abuse and violence. All too often, those affected by sexual violence experience a lack of understanding and rejection in their own clubs, a culture that absolutely needs to be changed in order to prevent further abuse.

The process is expected to last four days and shows how important it is to openly discuss issues such as sexual abuse and the responsibility of trainers in sport and take them seriously. Even if the trainer has already admitted guilt in this case, the enlightened society is still required to keep these issues in the public eye. Dealing with and preventing sexual violence in sport is one of the many steps that we as a society must take together to prevent such cruel acts in the future.

Education is the be-all and end-all: we can only break the vicious circle through an open ear and joint discussion. Because the past must not be forgotten, but must become a lesson for the future.