The public prosecutor’s office is still investigating Markus Anfang, but the suspicion of falsification of the vaccination certificate has not yet been confirmed. His ex-club Werder Bremen is now speaking of “very clear circumstantial evidence”. At the same time, the question arises whether the trainer has knowingly deceived those around him.
Professional football sometimes likes to see itself as a mirror of society. So it is almost logical that he will not be spared from the great debates of this time. But while Joshua Kimmich and his scientifically unsubstantiated opinion that the corona vaccines have not yet been adequately researched, it is about opinions, Markus Anfang even has criminally relevant behavior in the room. “Nationwide, the issue of vaccination forgery has come to the fore,” said Werder Bremen’s Chief Financial Officer Klaus Filbry, explaining why the beginning not only offered to resign, but also agreed to terminate his contract with the second division team at short notice.
On Thursday it became public that the public prosecutor’s office was investigating the suspicion that the beginning had used a falsified vaccination certificate. On Friday, SV Werder stood behind their coach and initially had no reason to doubt his rejection of the allegations. Until a “very clear circumstantial situation” opened up on Friday evening, as Filbry explained on the edge of the second division top game against relegated FC Schalke 04 (1: 1). A few hours before the kick-off, the initial departure became public, with him also co-trainer Florian Junge resigned, and he is also being investigated on suspicion of falsified vaccination records. The presumption of innocence applies to both.
“The allegations are extremely serious,” said sports director Frank Baumann before the Schalke game that there are apparently now doubts on the club side about the initial statements. After the investigation became known, the 47-year-old had said that “like every other double-vaccinated citizen, he had received both of my vaccinations in an official vaccination center and received the appropriate sticker on the yellow vaccination certificate.” He then had this “digitized in the pharmacy”. The Bremen health department, however, found the information strange in the course of a contact follow-up. The “Deichstube” reports that the batch number of the vaccine and a vaccination date are inconsistent. The latter overlaps with a job as a Werder coach. The authority then filed a criminal complaint.
Did the beginning consciously lie?
“To what extent the vaccination card is actually wrong, we will be able to clarify in a timely manner,” said a spokesman for the Bremen public prosecutor. Beginning – and also Junge – handed this over after the investigating authorities had obtained a search warrant. The question of criminal liability is probably primarily about submitting a possibly forged document to the health department. When he switched to Werder at the beginning of the summer, he himself declared that he was still unvaccinated. According to consistent reports, he then submitted the evidence in the fall. “But if the suspicion in the room is confirmed,” the German Football League (DFL) reacted to the developments, “this would be an unacceptable affront to everyone who had been vaccinated in the past few months and thus their contribution to the Corona – Have done containment. “
At the beginning, just under a week ago, the “Bild” said: “I have been vaccinated myself, but everyone can make their decision.” Looking at the statements made by those responsible for Werder, there are many indications that the beginning deliberately lied. He is unlikely to find a new job as a coach for the time being, Filbry’s words (“The Markus beginning file is closed for us”) should also apply to other clubs. Even if Werder’s chief financial officer warned against rashly and publicly ostracizing the accused. What has not yet been a big issue is the extent to which the beginning of his behavior could have endangered his environment.
Because while Joshua Kimmich, as an unvaccinated person, is tested much more frequently than his vaccinated colleagues, the beginning could have evaded these mandatory controls if the suspicions were confirmed with a forged document. Because he would have stood unvaccinated and untested with the players on the training ground, sat in the dressing room and on the bus, ate together. With the number of infections rising massively in the past few weeks. “Be in solidarity?” Asked the fans of the early ex-club Darmstadt 98 on a poster a few hours after his resignation, they gave the answer themselves: “Markus, you beginner”. You are not the only one who see a vaccination passport as active sabotage of the fight against the coronavirus.