Hertha's 2-2 draw in background as club pays tribute to Bernstein
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Hertha Berlin's 2-2 draw with Fortuna Düsseldorf in a second division match on Sunday was in the background as club and fans used the game as a moment to honour late president Kay Bernstein, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday aged 43.
Hertha coach Pal Dardai had tears in his eyes as the players stood in the centre circle and a minute's silence shortly before kick-off.
"Kay was a person who touched us. He never asked what was good for Kay. He always asked what was good for Hertha," Dardai told broadcasters Sky.
Bernstein's trademarked blue and white Hertha jacket, his megaphone and white roses were placed in his usual place in the stands.
After scoring Hertha's opener, Haris Tabakovic ran to the bench and held up a black T-shirt with the words "Hertha fans in deep mourning" before raising a finger to the sky.
Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson levelled for Düsseldorf, before Hertha were again ahead thanks to Derry Scherhant, but Christos Tzollis goal in the 50th minute settled the draw.
Before the game, thousands of Hertha fans marched together to Berlin's Olympic stadium in silent remembrance of Bernstein. The police spoke of a provisional figure of 7,000 participants.
Fans were dressed in black or wearing a Hertha blue training jackets. The president was a passionate Hertha fan and used to be an ultra.
"You go into the game thinking you're prepared for anything. And then you hear the stadium announcer and you just get goosebumps. But I think the team took it really well nonetheless," Hertha defender Toni Leistner told Sky.
His death is being investigated by the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt an the Oder. Preliminary results of a body autopsy found no signs of any outside involvement in his death and Bernstein "most likely assumes a natural death," a spokeswoman said.
Toxicological and histological samples were still being collected, and these will take time to examine.
The investigation is a standard procedure in such a case to clarify the cause of death.
Hertha asked fans before the game to "support each other and be empathetic, because coping with grief is individual."
