Footballer, 14, tragically dies in France after horrifying collision with opponent - as involuntary manslaughter investigation is launched
A footballer has tragically died at the age of 14 after suffering a collision in a game on Sunday, where he was reportedly struck in the chest during an aerial duel.
Ilann - whose surname has been withheld by his club - passed away on Tuesday, two days after the incident occurred.
The teenager was playing for French side Jeunesse Villenavaise at a tournament against Bordeaux's Under 15s, as part of the Sam Elite tournament in Merignac.
Ilann was rushed to Bordeaux University Hospital after collapsing and falling into a coma.
Doctors carried out several emergency surgeries to stop the internal bleeding in his liver, but were sadly unable to save Ilann.
After a complaint was filed by Ilann's parents, the Bordeaux court (Gironde) opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter, according to Le Republicain.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jeunesse Villenavaise Officiel (@jvillenavaise)
The prosecution said: 'The investigations are being entrusted to the territorial crime division of the interdepartmental directorate of the Gironde national police.'
To pay respects to Ilann, the Gironde football district will observe a minute of silence before kick-off of each youth game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Jeunesse also cancelled training the following day and provided counselling to its U15 group.
Ilann's family created an online fundraiser, which was widely shared by several clubs in the region.
Shortly after his passing, Ilann's club took to social media to share a heartbreaking tribute to him. It read: 'It is with a broken heart and a silent soul that we announce the passing of Ilann, a young Panther of the club.
'There are no words right enough, no sentence strong enough. Only silence, tears, and love. Today, Jeunesse Villenavaise is in mourning. A family, teammates, educators, parents stand together, united in grief.
'To Ilann's family, to his loved ones, we send all our absolute, sincere, and unconditional love. Ilann, forever one of us, we make a promise: we will never forget you. Rest in peace, young Panther. The field belongs to you forever.'
Meanwhile, Bordeaux - the opposing team on the day in which the incident occurred, also paid their respects.
The club said: 'Our thoughts are with Ilann, their family, their loved ones and the club.There are no good enough words, nor phrases strong enough. Just silence, tears and love.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
15 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘A Spurs legend forever': players hail Ange Postecoglou in wake of sacking
Son Heung-min has praised Ange Postecoglou as a 'Tottenham Hotspur legend' as the club's supporters' trust expressed 'concern' with another change in manager. Postecoglou ended Spurs' 17-year wait for silverware with Europa League success over Manchester United in Bilbao on 21 May, but it failed to earn the Australian a third season. A club statement on Friday announcing Postecoglou's departure highlighted a woeful Premier League campaign where Tottenham finished 17th, their lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1977. Son, the club captain, was one of several Spurs players to pay tribute to Postecoglou, writing on Instagram: 'Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club. You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did. 'You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it's had in decades. We will have those memories for life. You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career. 'It's been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close, I am a better player and a better person because of you. Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.' The goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was Postecoglou's first signing and said: 'You are not only a top manager, you are an incredible person to work for, a real leader, a mentor, and someone I'll always look up to. What we achieved together will stay in the history books. Wishing you nothing but success as I know you will go on to achieve more and more. Thank you, Boss.' The defender Micky van de Ven added: 'Gaffer, thank you for everything! Believed in me from the first day I arrived at the club. Many ups and downs in the last two years but you kept believing in us and kept pushing us. Big part of the success from the club this year, and forever grateful that u made me part of it. All the best.' Dominic Solanke, signed for Spurs last summer in a £65m deal, said: 'Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful club, thank you for bringing us a wonderful trophy. [I] won't ever forget the convo we had before I signed and we achieved a dream! All the best in your next adventure.' The defender Pedro Porro insisted the 59-year-old would 'always be celebrated', writing: 'Thank you for everything, boss. I'll always be grateful for the way you led us, defended us, and kept us going through all the highs and lows. Above everything, you gave us one of the greatest moments in the club's history and for that, you'll always be celebrated.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Richarlison added: 'Everyone who loves the Spurs will remember that Big Ange always bags trophies in his second season.' The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust thanked Postecoglou for an 'amazing night' in Bilbao but acknowledged league results were a 'long way short' of expectation. 'Our concern now is that it appears we will have yet another change of direction and that this is something that is becoming a habit since we said goodbye to Mauricio Pochettino in 2019,' a THST statement read. 'We can only hope that the right decision has been made and that the new manager is fully supported by the board and everyone at the club to build on the cup success that Ange has lain. He will need the finances to build a strong squad that can challenge simultaneously on many fronts. We wish whoever is appointed well. Spurs fans have had a taste of glory and we don't want to wait another 17 years for more.'
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Spurs captain Son says Postecoglou a club 'legend'
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min says sacked manager Ange Postecoglou is a "legend" who has "changed the trajectory of this club".Postecoglou, 59, was sacked on Friday just over two weeks after ending the club's 17-year wait for silverware with victory in the Europa League final. Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League after losing 22 out of 38 matches."Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club," Son posted on Instagram, external."You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did."You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it's had in decades. We will have those memories for life."You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career. It's been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close. I am a better player and a better person because of you."Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate."The South Korea winger was not alone in paying tribute to Australian Vicario said, external: "Boss, I just want to say a massive thank you for everything you have done for me and for all of us."From that very first call, right from the beginning, you always showed so much belief in me."Giving me the opportunity to be part of the leadership group... those moments, and many others, will stay with me forever."You are not only a top manager, you are an incredible person to work for, a real leader, a mentor, and someone I'll always look up to."What we achieved TOGETHER will stay in the history books."Wishing you nothing but success as I know you will go on to achieve more and more."Thank you, Boss. Forever grateful, Vic."Defender Micky van de Ven said, external: "Gaffer, Thank you for everything! "Believed in me from the first day I arrived at the club. Many ups and downs in the last two years but you kept believing in us and kept pushing us. "Big part of the success from the club this year, and forever grateful that u made me part of it."All the best."Forward Dominic Solanke said, external: "Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful club, thank you for bringing us a wonderful trophy."Won't ever forget the convo we had before I signed and we achieved a dream! All the best in your next adventure."Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, external said the vast majority of fans will will "love Ange forever" although league results were a "long way short" of fans group called for Postecoglou's replacement to be "fully supported" by the club's board in order to build on the "cup success that Ange has lain".Brentford boss Thomas Frank is among the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou, while Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Fulham's Marco Silva, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino are also linked with the vacancy.
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment heroic bystanders step in to detain 'antisemitic' thug who attacked Rabbi at café in wealthy Paris suburb
Shocking footage has captured the moment heroic bystanders stepped into detain a man who attacked a French Rabbi at a café in a wealthy Paris suburb. Elie Lummel was sitting at a café in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he sustained a 'really violent blow to the head' with a chair. 'I found myself on the ground,' he said. 'I immediately felt blood flowing and then I saw people running after this person who had attacked me and I congratulated them. 'I congratulated them because it's wonderful to have people who had the courage to ensure that the person was arrested and really, well done.' Footage posted on X/ Twitter captured the aftermaths of the attack showing three male passersby detaining the suspect and dragging him through the streets of Paris by the scruff of his neck. In a second clip, a police officer is seen arrested the man after removing his striped outer layer. 'As soon as I heard "arrest him, arrest him", I understood that it was an assault,' Mr Lummel said. The suspect was held for questioning at the Neuilly-sur-Seine police station and underwent a psychiatric examination that required his hospitalisation, the prosecutor's office in Nanterre said. According to German-language identity documents found in his possession, the 28-year-old man was born in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The prosecutor's office in Nanterre confirmed it had opened an investigation into the attack for violence aggravated by the fact that it was committed on religious grounds. 'Yes, well, for me, it's profiling,' Mr Lummel said. 'Here, clearly, it's not a rabbi, it's an identifiable Jew 'Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, well, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame.' This is the second time in two weeks that the French Rabbi has been the victim of an assault. Mr Lummel revealed he was also attacked in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week when he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. It comes as five Jewish institutions, including synagogues, a restaurant and the Shoah Memorial, were vandalised with emerald green paint last week. France has seen a marked rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. It should be noted that the figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. Addressing the rise in hate crimes, Mr Lummel said: 'Listen, I know someone well the other day who found themselves in a café with someone throwing a Mein Kampf in their face. 'I thought, well, people feel they can, not everyone, thank God. 'There's a vast majority of people who are clear in their minds. Even if they don't share the same opinions, they respect each other. 'The problem here is that some don't share the same opinions; that's their right, but we no longer respect each other. And then, on the other hand, it becomes a real problem.' Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that he was disgusted by these 'despicable acts targeting the Jewish community'. Responding to the attack on Mr Lummel, he tweeted: 'I condemn in the strongest terms the anti-Semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today. 'I want to tell our Jewish compatriots that we stand with them. 'The perpetrator, who had no business being in France, must be severely punished and removed.' Mr Retailleau also acknowledged the 'composure and courage' of the heroic men who made the arrest possible. 'Attacking a person because of their faith is shameful,' he added. 'The increase in anti-religious acts requires everyone's mobilisation.' 'This act sickens us,' former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. 'Thanks to the municipal police officers who were able to immediately arrest the attacker. 'Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society. 'We will always fight it,' he added.
