Sport - Football/Germany

German football in shock after goalkeeper commits suicide

Article published on the 2009-11-11 Latest update 2009-11-11 14:38 TU

A supporter places a candle near the railway station where Enke died
(Photo: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay)

The German football federation has called off Saturday’s scheduled friendly in Cologne against Chile as a mark of respect for their goalkeeper Robert Enke who committed suicide on Tuesday.

"We thought about playing the game as a farewell to Robert, but it is clear it is too soon after this terrible news," said team manager Oliver Bierhoff, who shed tears while delivering the news in a press conference.

Enke was not in the German squad having only returned from injury last weekend for his club Hanover.

Police said the 32-year-old goalkeeper had killed himself at a level crossing in the small town of Neustadt am Rubenberge, near Hanover, shortly before 6pm (1700 UT) on Tuesday.

"He threw himself under a train and died of his injuries. It was definitely suicide," police spokeswoman Martina Stern told AFP.

Police said that Enke had left a suicide note but have not revealed where they found it or what it said.

Enke's doctor Valentin Markser revealed the player had an acute fear of failure and had been treated for depression since 2003 following a difficult transfer to Barcelona and subsequent loan to Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Markser said Enke had visited him six weeks ago, suffering from a deep bout of depression - around the same time he lost his place in the Germany team through illness.

"The first time he was treated by me was when he was at Barcelona in 2003," Markser told a press conference in Hanover.

"Six weeks ago, he came to me again, because he had been suffering from a crisis since his training was interrupted in the summer by injury."

Enke, born in Jena in eastern Germany in 1977, was understudy to then first-team keeper Jens Lehmann during the 2008 European championships and took over in goal for Germany when Lehmann retired in August 2008.

He was voted the Bundesliga's goalkeeper of the season in 2008/09. He had eight caps and was likely to play in next year's World Cup..

He leaves behind a widow, Teresa, and a daughter of eight months, Leila, adopted by the couple in May - three years after their two-year-old daughter Lara tragically died of a heart defect in 2006.

"I tried to give him hope again, to show him that football was not everything, that we had each other," his widow told a press conference.

"I was always by his side: I believed, with love, we could pull through this. But football meant everything to him."