#德国网坛传奇贝克尔被判入狱 #
"Everyone regrets that Boris was jailed"
Two-and-a-half years in prison: This is the sentence of former German tennis star Boris Becker after being implicated in bankruptcy, but he continues to have a high popularity in his native Germany.
Tennis legend Boris Becker is in jail for bankruptcy.
Still, he has a lot of support in Germany.
"We stand with him," says the German Tennis Federation.
Tennis legend Boris Becker has received sympathy from other celebrities after being jailed. "For Boris, I'm sorry," Reiner Calmund, a former football manager, told Bild. "Boris survived the toughest races and I hope he gets through it this time. The German Tennis Federation (DTB) wants to continue to support the three-time Wimbledon champion: "We take note of the verdict with respect and regret and wish him every success in the future," the association's president Dietloff von Arnim said in Munich on Friday. "We're with him.
Previously, Becker had been sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court on multiple bankruptcy charges. The 54-year-old tennis legend must serve half of that before he can turn the rest of his time into a free probation, as Judge Deborah Taylor ruled at Southwark Crown Court. Immediately after the verdict, Becker was detained on Friday and now has 28 days to appeal the ruling.
"His merits are still unique"
"Boris Becker is an icon for all of us," fashion designer Harald Glööckler said of the "image." "Whether you can do something with tennis or not, you have to reach out to him. He was really carried up to the sky, but now he has fallen into the abyss of infinity. Tv host Verona Pooth also wished Becker a way to survive the hurdle.
"Boris Becker has been an integral part of the German tennis family for decades and his influence remains unique," explains DTB President von Arnim. Becker has achieved great things in tennis at the national and international levels. "Recently, as head of the field of men's tennis and youth sports, he supported the German Tennis Federation and during this time became an important promoter of our sport."
Oscar Otte, a German tennis player who reached the semi-finals of the ATP tournament in Munich on Friday, said the verdict against Becker was regrettable and sad: "Because this is a German tennis legend, he has used his performance to turn German tennis into tennis Germany".
"The Tragedy of Sport"
Becker, who lives in London, was declared bankrupt in court in 2017. As a result, he had to disclose his assets to the insolvency representative, but the court found that he had missed many important parts.
Three weeks ago, a jury ruled that the Germans were guilty of four of the 24 charges. The jury found that Becker hid a property estimated at about €1.2 million in his hometown of Leimen (Baden-Württemberg), illegally transferred a total of €427,000 to other accounts, and concealed shares in a company worth €78,600 and €825,000 in loan debt. Now, Judge Taylor has finally ruled on the prison sentence.
Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens) tweeted that "the rule of law is correct and consistent." At the same time, he added: "It is a tragedy in terms of the history of sport".
Becker was accompanied friday by his life partner, Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro, as he did at every trial. The couple walked hand in hand through numerous photographers and the public into the courtroom. Becker's eldest son, Noah, carried a packed travel bag with Becker in a glass box that the defendant had to stay in.
Becker's daughter, Anna Ermakova, was shocked in an interview with Bild. "I was really shocked that my father was sentenced to two years and six months in prison," she said. "I will support him, I will visit him whenever possible, and I hope I can help him through this difficult time."