ZDF documentary exposes sexual abuse in German youth football

A new ZDF documentary, ‘Tatort Jugendfußball’, investigates widespread sexual abuse within German youth football. The investigation, led by journalist Jonas Hummels and filmmaker Marie Bröckling, features testimonies from victims who describe how perpetrators exploited their positions of trust to target children.

Researchers identified 44 criminal proceedings involving more than 200 victims across Germany, including cities such as Munich, Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Hannover. Victims reported various tactics used by abusers, such as offering gifts, meals, or invitations to indoor football facilities to build rapport and manipulate players. Some cases involved verbal harassment, while others included severe physical and sexual assault.

The documentary highlights structural failures within the sport, noting that abuse occurs in both amateur and professional club environments. Jonas Hummels has called on the German Football Association (DFB) to treat child protection as a top priority, suggesting that significant investments are necessary to implement preventative measures and close existing structural gaps that allow such misconduct to persist.