Footballer arrested on suspicion of fatally poisoning team-mate in 'revenge' act on team trip

A 35-year-old footballer has been arrested on suspicion of fatally poisoning his teammate during an end-of-season trip.

On Tuesday (1 September), the footballer, who has been named as Marius, was arrested on suspicion of secretly administering poison to his teammate during a team trip.

The incident involved players from amateur German club TuS Rockenberg, with the team taking a trip to Dresden, Germany, to celebrate the end of the season.

Why police suspect footballer of poisoning teammate

During the trip, one player, named Philipp, suddenly started to feel unwell and, upon returning home, became seriously ill, leading to his family calling emergency services.

He was taken to hospital but tragically passed away the following day, June 16, 2025, aged 30, despite attempts by medical professionals to resuscitate him.

Initially, the victim's family believed that severe food poisoning from fish eaten by the team during the trip may have been the cause of his illness.

However, an investigation later found that Philipp's official cause of death was septic multi-organ failure caused by poisoning, as reported by NeedToKnow.

Marius was subsequently identified as a suspect in the investigation.

Senior public prosecutor Thomas Hauburger told local media: “We assume that this was an act of revenge.”

German club releases statement after footballer's arrest

Following news of the arrest, TuS Rockenberg released an official statement reacting to the developments on social media.

It read: “After having to cope with the sudden death of a teammate in our football department last year, the events of last Tuesday have once again left us speechless.

"None of us can currently comprehend this latest devastating blow. We are now placing our hopes in the work of the authorities and trust that the incident will be fully investigated.

"Given the extremely distressing and emotional situation for everyone involved at our club, we will not comment on the ongoing investigation. We therefore urgently and respectfully ask that players, coaches and board members are not approached for comment.

"Thank you for your understanding.”

At the time of Philipp's death, the amateur club described him as “a friend, a fighter on the pitch and a man with a big heart”.

In their own statement, his family said they would remember “the loud laughter, the quiet gestures and the big heart”.

Marius remains in detention while the investigation continues.

He has not been convicted of any offence in connection with Philipp's death and, at the time of writing, neither he nor his legal representatives have publicly responded to the allegations.