Brandt doesn’t notice the vortex
Alleged jersey theft ends with love
April 17, 2024, 4:44 p.m
Julian Brandt is full of euphoria, his BVB makes it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, he scores the first goal and is named player of the game. In a rush of happiness, he gives away his jersey to a fan in a wheelchair. What happens next annoys many people watching TV – but it has a happy ending.
After the fuss surrounding an alleged jersey theft following Borussia Dortmund’s celebrated entry into the Champions League semi-finals, the affected football fan has provided clarification. After the 4-2 triumph over Atlético Madrid, BVB professional Julian Brandt presented his jersey to a wheelchair user on Tuesday evening. But a person standing right next to it apparently snatched it from the addressee, then was extremely happy and apparently walked away.
Many users on social media concluded from the scene that it must have been a brazen jersey theft and reacted with outrage online. Video of the incident has been viewed tens of thousands of times. Borussia Dortmund made it known that the club was investigating what happened and wanted to locate the wheelchair user in order to possibly compensate him.
In the end it was obviously completely different – both fans are probably a couple. “It’s actually not that bad because the wheelchair user contacted us and said, ‘that was my girlfriend’. They belonged together. Accordingly, the jersey is in the right hands and hasn’t gotten away,” said Brandt on Sky in an interview also distributed by BVB.
The girlfriend is happy too
He only found out about it through teammates who showed him a video of the scene. The 27-year-old said that it wasn’t really clear to him in the immediate moment. It is “of course now a viral topic,” but “we can all calm down a bit,” added Brandt.
According to the wheelchair user’s statement, the woman has been his girlfriend for “eleven years.” “She only took the jersey because Julian Brandt didn’t come any closer. It was a nice moment for us,” the long-time BVB fan told “Bild”.
Both fans therefore have season tickets for the Bundesliga soccer team’s games. “I’ve always just wanted a jersey after the game. We’re real BVB fans. I have everything from the club that you can buy. I’m very proud,” said the fan in a wheelchair. Maybe there will also be a Brandt jersey for his girlfriend. “From what I’ve noticed, they’re there more often and that’s why you still run into each other every now and then,” said Brandt.