German league to pay tribute to Berlin victims

The Bundesliga will pay tribute to the victims of the Berlin Christmas market terror attack in Tuesday and Wednesday's matches with a minute's silence and players wearing black armbands.

"With this, we would like to show a sense of solidarity with the victims, but also with the citizens of our capital," said Dr Reinhard Rauball, president of the German Football League (DFL).

"The compassion of professional football applies to the survivors, as well as to the numerous injured victims, whom we wish a speedy recovery. "We are all shaken by what happened on a peaceful Christmas market on Monday evening."

Hertha Berlin host Darmstadt on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium, seven kilometres (four miles) from Breitscheidplatz where a lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market on Monday, killing 12 and injuring at least 48 other people.

Matches will take place at four grounds on Tuesday in Dortmund, Moenchengladbach, Frankfurt and Hamburg with a further five across the country the next day.

Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig in a top of the table clash on Wednesday with a sell-out crowd of 75,000 expected.

Police have already said they are stepping up security for Tuesday's Eintracht Frankfurt home match against Mainz.

"We will take into account the abstract threat situation and show an increased presence and some colleagues will be equipped with machine guns, which is not usual," a spokesman told SID, an AFP subsidiary.