STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Players from Swiss team Young Boys held up teammate Meschack Elia's shirt as a tribute during their Champions League game at Stuttgart after his son died this week.
Lukasz Lakomy gave Young Boys the lead with a powerful long-range shot in the sixth minute Wednesday and ran toward the sideline, where he held up Elia's shirt as his teammates gathered around him.
Young Boys said in a statement earlier Wednesday that one of Elia's sons had “died completely unexpectedly following a short illness” in Elia's home country of Congo. The 27-year-old Elia had been informed Tuesday evening and was on his way to Congo to be with his family, the club added.
Both teams wore black armbands during the game, and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.
Stuttgart won the game 5-1 to leave the Swiss champion with its sixth loss from six games. Young Boys captain Loris Benito said the game and the result meant little to his team in the circumstances.
“I honestly have to tell you that this evening is not about sport at all for us, but about the tragedy that we experienced yesterday,” Benito told broadcaster DAZN. “It is so unimaginable and everything else is irrelevant when you experience this.”
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The Associated Press
