By David Langenbein and Thomas Flehmer, dpa
BERLIN – An investigation into the cause of death of Hertha Berlin president Kay Bernstein has been initiated, a police spokeswoman told dpa on Wednesday.
This is a standard procedure when the cause of death is unclear, she said. That are currently no indications of suicide or outside influence.
His body is to undergo an autopsy at a forensic centre on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt an der Oder told to dpa. Initial results are expected to show whether Bernstein died of natural or unnatural causes.
Hertha said in Tuesday that Bernstein died unexpectedly at the age of 43. Bernstein, a passionate fan and former Hertha ultra, had been the club’s president since June 2022.
Vice president Fabian Drescher will act as interim president of the second division club, but it’s not clear whether he will remain in the position until the elections in October.
It’s also unclear whether there could be early elections during the general assembly in the spring.
Hertha hosted an open training session on Wednesday to give the fans the chance to express their condolences, while the pre-match news conference scheduled for Friday has been cancelled.
Some 80 fans attended the session, many carrying flowers. A framed picture of Bernstein was placed in front of the club’s office and there was a queue of supporters hoping to lay flowers and candles. A book a condolence was also available.
On Sunday, Hertha welcome Fortuna Düsseldorf and thanks to a cooperation between Sky, the broadcast rights holder for the second division, and public broadcasters RTL, fans who are not in the stadium will be able to watch the game for free in the Bundesliga Konferenz, which switches between the matches happening at the same time.
