Supporters at Borussia Dortmund have been praised for their response to news that a fan had died during the Bundesliga match with Mainz.
After news spread during the second half of Sunday’s game that two fans had collapsed, supporters stopped chanting and the match was played in an unusually silent atmosphere.
Shortly before the end of the game the 81,000 spectators stood up from their seats, held up their scarves and sang the Liverpool football anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone.
“I have to pay my deepest respect. It shows how deeply rooted concepts like honour and respect for others are and can be expressed just like that,” Borussia president Reinhard Rauball said.
“The reaction of the fans was extremely spontaneous and something that I have never experienced before.”
Dortmund confirmed a 79-year-old man died of a suspected heart attack and a 55-year-old man needed resuscitating but was reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.
It is not unusual for there to be spectator fatalities during matches, but the stadium internet connection and the use of social media helped created a new phenomenon. In addition the “capos” - who coordinate fan chanting behind the goals using megaphones - made sure supporters fell silent and put away their banners.
Players and coaches weren’t initially aware of why the atmosphere in the Westfalenstadion had become so subdued.
“I wanted to push on the touchline in the second half but at some point asked myself ‘what is this for a strange atmosphere?’” Mainz coach Martin Schmidt said.
“I found it inspiring how 80,000 fans fell quiet as a mark of respect in just a few minutes. Such solidarity is impressive. Everyone in the stadium came together as a unit. That is, sadly, not always the case.”
Dortmund striker Marco Reus said: “On the pitch, we were completely unaware of what was happening elsewhere in the stadium.
“Even the referee asked me what was going on, why the atmosphere had sunk so low. After the game the manager told us. The game seemed insignificant then, it is simply tragic.”
Dortmund defender Mats Hummels said for a short moment he recalled the terrorist attack in Paris while playing for Germany against France at the Stade de France in November.
“Then I had also noticed the atmosphere in the ground and I was reminded of that,” he said.
Coach Thomas Tuchel praised his players for their performance, with the win keeping Dortmund five points behind leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
“It was very difficult to stand on the edge of the pitch or on the pitch, not knowing what was going on but still having to fulfil our obligation of putting in the best possible performance,” he said.