The European Handball Federation announced the death of a Polish journalist during the 2023 UEFA Champions League final between Magdeburg and PGE Vive Kielce on Sunday. It was reported that journalist Pawel Koczwiet fell unconscious during the second half, prompting the match to stop while emergency services rushed to assist him, but he unfortunately passed away.
Magdeburg coach Benet Wiegert told Bild that he "called for the officials to end the match while the score was 22-20 in favor of the Polish team," mentioning that "there are things more important than sports." Wiegert added before the game resumed that the German team ultimately triumphed over Kielce 30-29 after extra time, stating, "I said we accept the result and that Kielce is the winner of the Champions League."
The Polish team noted that it "decided to honor the late journalist by reserving a permanent seat for him in the press box of their arena, where he used to sit to cover the team's matches." They wrote on Twitter, "This seat will be yours forever because we know you will be with us in every upcoming game."
