Pretrial Detention Imposed After Attack on Rapid Player Burgstaller

The judge justified the pre-trial detention with the risk of reoffending. Court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn confirmed to the APA that the decision is already legally binding and valid until December 30.

Accused of Attack on Rapid Player Burgstaller Previously Unblemished

"The pre-trial detention does not come as a surprise to me due to the heated atmosphere," said Klaus Ainedter, the defender of the suspect, in a conversation with the APA. His client deeply regrets "what he has done" and is taking probation assistance and anti-aggression training. He is confident "that he will be released soon," Ainedter said optimistically.

The accused is a 23-year-old, unblemished man who has not previously appeared in criminal proceedings. He is employed by an insurance company and has recently attended a high school course part-time. On January 9, the examination date for obtaining the middle school diploma is scheduled. The public prosecutor's office is now investigating him for intentional grievous bodily harm.

The young man, accompanied by his father, visited a police station on Tuesday and turned himself in. The first experience of imprisonment and the prospect of spending Christmas behind bars are said to be psychologically affecting the 23-year-old, according to reports from the Josefstadt prison.

Dispute with Burgstaller Over Trivial Matter

The dispute with Burgstaller arose over a trivial matter, there was no sporting or football-related background according to the current state of investigation. Burgstaller's girlfriend or companion had asked the 23-year-old and a second man for a light for cigarettes outside the disco at 6.00 am. This led to a conversation, the two men are said to have laughed at the woman's dialect - she is from Upper Austria. Burgstaller then joined in, and a verbal dispute initially arose between the footballer and the 23-year-old.

Subsequently, the 23-year-old is said to have pushed or shoved Burgstaller. The Rapid striker had both hands in his pockets at this point and apparently retreated by taking one or two steps back. The 23-year-old followed up and punched the footballer, hitting him on the chin. The man was not aware that he was the striker of SK Rapid, as his legal representative emphasized. "He didn't know him," said defense attorney Ainedter. His client also does not practice martial arts.

Burgstaller fell to the ground after the punch. He hit his head on the hard ground without bracing himself and lost consciousness. The athlete suffered a skull base fracture among other injuries and is still in hospital treatment. The 35-year-old is expected to be unavailable to SK Rapid for at least three months, the club recently announced.

(APA/Red)

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