Fan dies after horror fall at Nations League final
A football fan has died after falling from the stands during the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain in Munich.
The man died at the scene from his injuries after falling from the middle tier to the lower tier of the enormous Allianz Arena, which holds around 70,000 spectators.
The fall happened during the first period of extra time on Sunday night, and led to medical professionals and stewards quickly cordoning off the area. As doctors fought to save his life, a tarpaulin was used to shield the man from the view of other supporters.
'A man fell from the middle tier to the lower tier, onto a staircase near the press area, and unfortunately died at the scene,' Munich police spokesman Tobias Schenk said, as reported by Associated Press.
'As always in such cases, the Munich police have taken over the investigation. Criminal police are on site, witnesses are being interviewed and videos reviewed. At this time, there's no evidence of anything but a tragic accident.
'We can't give more details at the moment, except to say the man was from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area.'
Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach, said after his team's penalty shootout defeat: 'I want to show my deepest condolences because a fan has died. It reminds us of what is important in life.'
In a statement, Uefa said: 'There was a medical emergency at the Munich arena, and despite the best efforts of the medical team, the person sadly passed away at 00:06. Our thoughts are with their loved ones at this difficult time.'
A heated and fractious final was settled on penalties after the match ended 2-2 after extra time. Spain had twice taken the lead in Munich but Portugal struck back through Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo before goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a decisive save from Álvaro Morata in the shootout.
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