Former Werder Bremen coach Markus Anfang has apologised and offered an explanation for using a fake Covid-19 vaccination card.
Anfang stepped down from his role at Weserstadion when the allegations initially came to light in November, citing a desire to step back from the "stress" of the situation as public prosecutors in Germany launched a full investigation.
The 47-year-old, who had previously denied the claims, was found guilty of forging vaccine documents two months later and hit with a one-year ban from football.
What's been said?
Anfang finally came out to issue an apology for his actions in the ZDF sports studio on Saturday, admitting that he failed in his role as a sports professional and brought a lot of unnecessary pain on those closest to him.
"I have in no way lived up to my role as a role model. I have disappointed many people, lied to them and done a lot of damage to my family," he said.
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"I can understand that many people are angry and disappointed. I would love to turn back the clock and undo this mistake."
Why did Anfang use a fake vaccination card?
Anfang went on to explain that his decision to avoid getting vaccinated stemmed from a fear of suffering the same health issues as his father Dieter, who had a heart attack when his son was in charge of Koln back in 2019.
"I'm still afraid of the vaccination. He had a very bad heart attack, was more dead than alive, was resuscitated nine times," Anfang said of his father's cardiac arrest. "I experienced it first hand and when you see all this, how your dad fights his way back to life - that just does something to you. This fear that I have as a result is difficult for me to take away."
The German coach added on why he felt the need to lie about being vaccinated: "In the end, when I'm asked for explanations, they're not excuses for what I did. I used a fake health certificate.
"I wasn't vaccinated, I lied, I didn't tell the truth because it was for me at that moment it was like I can only stay in the job and do my work with a vaccination. That's when I made this mistake. I'm terribly sorry."
