Tragedy: Hannover 96 and German national team goalkeeper
Robert Enke
German football is in shock after it was confirmed that
national team goalkeeper Robert Enke was killed in an incident at a
railway level crossing on Tuesday evening.
The 32-year-old was struck by a regional train travelling
between Norddeich and Hanover at a railway crossing in Neustadt am
Rubenberge and died at the scene, police have confirmed.
'First indications point to suicide,' a media officer for the
Lower Saxony police said before adding Enke's body was found at a
train crossing in Neustadt am Ruebenberge near Hanover.
'At 1825 (1725GMT) he was run over by a regional express train
running between Hamburg and Bremen,' said police spokesman Stefan
Wittke. 'The train was travelling at the speed of 160-kph.'
The player's friend and consultant Joerg Neblung told reporters:
'I can confirm this is a case of suicide. He took his own life just
before six (pm). There will be a press conference tomorrow with
more details.'
Sad story: Enke pictured in May 2006 with his daughter Lara,
who tragically died a few months later at the age of two
Enke leaves behind his wife, Teresa, and an
eight-month-old daughter who the couple had adopted in May. The
Enkes lost their own daughter Lara in 2006 when she died of a rare
heart condition at the age of just two.
On the field, Enke's career had taken him from his local side
Jena into the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach before
spells abroad with Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife.
He returned to the Bundesliga, joining Hannover in 2004 and
earning his first cap for Germany on March 28, 2007 after
impressing year after year for his club.
He went on to make eight appearances for Germany and was
regarded as the favourite to be their number one at the World Cup
in South Africa next summer, but a mysterious bacterial infection
forced him out of their World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in
September.
He only recently recovered from the illness and made his return
for Hannover in their Bundesliga win over Cologne on October
31.
However, he was omitted from the Germany squad for their
upcoming friendly matches against Chile on Saturday and the Ivory
Coast next Wednesday.
Germany coach Joachim Low nevertheless insisted that Enke was
one of the favourites to be his number one in South Africa, saying
that the decision to leave him out of his squad was "not a decision
against, but rather a decision for Robert".
His national team colleagues learned the tragic news after
training in Bonn
today.
'We are all shocked,' said Germany's general manager Oliver
Bierhoff. 'We are lost for words.'
Grief: Hannover 96 supporters mourn the death of Enke at the
railway station in the northern German village of Eilvese
The president of the German Football Association (DFB)
Dr Theo Zwanziger added that he and the rest of the football
community in Germany 'are stunned and in mourning.
'All our sympathy goes to the wife of Robert Enke and his
family,' he added
on the DFB's website.
Enke's death may force a postponement of Saturday's game against
Chile. Fans were flocking to Hannover's Niedersachsen Stadion on
Tuesday night where they were laying flowers and lighting candles
at the gates in memory of their captain who had dedicated himself
to the club since joining in 2004.
A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon,
when more light will be shed on the death of one of Germany's most
respected and talented footballers.
