• Germany edition
National
Photo: DPA

German guns down two Italians after football row

Published: 5 Jul 10 21:51 CET | Print version
Updated: 6 Jul 10 10:44 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100705-28311.html

A second Italian man has died after being gunned down alongside a compatriot by a German man angered in a pub row over World Cup football, the police in Hannover said on Tuesday.

The first Italian was killed at the scene of the altercation on Monday after the three men began arguing about the past World Cup performances of their respective teams, police said.

"According to our current investigations, the three men got into an argument in the pub in the morning about, among other things, the success of Italy and Germany in previous World Cups," police in Hannover, northern Germany, said.

"After this, the suspect is thought to have left the pub, returned a bit later and fired at the two victims," the statement said.

One 47-year-old Italian died mid-morning of his injuries in hospital. The other, 49, is in a critical condition.

Police are now urgently searching for the suspect, a 42-year-old German man from Hannover. Authorities found a weapon, a 9mm pistol, in the vicinity of the
pub.

The two respective teams, Italy and Germany, have had very different experiences in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Italy came into the competition as one of the favourites after winning the 2006 World Cup but crashed out in the group stages after a humiliating loss to Slovakia.

On the other side, a young German team have stormed to the semi-finals, with a 4-1 win over England and a 4-0 humiliation of a strong Argentina team.

However, historically, Italy has won the World Cup more times than Germany, with four victories (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) compared to three (1954, 1974,
1990). And Italy ended Germany's World Cup campaign while the country hosted the tournament in 2006 in the semi-finals.

AFP/DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

22:39 July 5, 2010 by JohnnesKönig
And to think I was close enough today to hear this but was unaware until now of anything happening... Not one of the nice areas of Hannover though.
22:45 July 5, 2010 by Der Grenadier aus Aachen
Football is serious business, folks.
23:16 July 5, 2010 by Joshontour
With the gun situation in the US, maybe it's a good thing they don't embrace "soccer"
23:35 July 5, 2010 by claudegaveau
'Football is not just a matter of life and death: it's much more important than that' - Bill Shankly.
23:55 July 5, 2010 by Prufrock2010
I'll remember to keep my rooting interests to myself on Wednesday night.
00:41 July 6, 2010 by krautrock
Italians now know that discussing with and ignorant drunk German can be very dangerous...
01:21 July 6, 2010 by frigitar
and The Local conveniently converts a homicide report into a football almanac...

wow.
02:30 July 6, 2010 by wenddiver
Could yoou please put the type of ammunition, the distance fired, how many rounds, what type of pistol, the locations of the bullet hits, and how long it took for them to die, etc, for those of us who care about the shooting sports, more than Football.
05:36 July 6, 2010 by tomnewyork
Stay Calm....Germany Win's!!
07:40 July 6, 2010 by JohnnesKönig
http://www.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Deutscher-toetet-in-Hannover-Italiener-bei-Streit-um-Fussball
08:12 July 6, 2010 by crunchy2k
I just wonder where the bartender was? He/she should have brought out a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot and taken the guy out before he killed the second Italian. Sounds like the german knew he was in target rich environment with all the politically correct anti-gun views in the press.
08:51 July 6, 2010 by alfbert
The guy with the smoking gun was lucky, in Baviaria he would have been fined.
08:52 July 6, 2010 by Heinrich der Zweite
The Italians would'nt have been gunned down if each had had a vuvuzela.
09:22 July 6, 2010 by Prufrock2010
Maybe they were gunned down BECAUSE they had vuvuzelas. That would be justifiable homicide in my book.
11:02 July 6, 2010 by moistvelvet
"the three men got into an argument in the pub in the morning about, among other things..."

So quite possibly the killing was triggered by something other than footieball, but hey lets not get the facts in the way of a story, lets spin this story into another article that reminds everyone just how well Germany are doing in the world cup... and they are doing very well :-)

"However, historically, Italy has won the World Cup more times than Germany, with four victories", yes FOUR times more as unified Germany hasn't won any yet ;-)
15:47 July 6, 2010 by Prufrock2010
Germany is unified? You coulda fooled me.
17:33 July 6, 2010 by claudegaveau
Must avoid going to any German kneipe with my Spanish colours tomorrow evening. Come on Spain!!!!!!!!
22:02 July 6, 2010 by ColoSlim
Guns don't kill people....uh foooosball does? And I thought people were wound tight in Berlin yeesh.
23:54 July 6, 2010 by Prufrock2010
They don't have a sacrosanct second amendment here in Germany. You have to expend some effort to get a handgun. These poor backward Germans don't know what they're missing. But they'll learn.
22:43 July 7, 2010 by Saprklemahn
Bine_Ffm : I concur 100%. Very nice attachment.
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