Former U20 football star caught stealing gold

Surveillance video cameras captured the drama. Photo: Tele M1/Screenshot

Former U20 football star caught stealing gold

A former player for Switzerland’s under-20 football team was caught stealing a gold ingot worth 9,000 francs ($8,950) from a precious metals shop in the canton of Aargau, according to media reports on Wednesday.


The 22-year-old man tried to make off with the gold bar on Monday from a shop in Aaarau, the canton’s capital city, the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper reported, citing information from TV station TeleM1.

“He was already in the doorway but a succeeded in stopping him,” Patrick Huber, owner of the store was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

“We fell on the ground and we fought,” said Huber.

“I lost my balance and he was able to escape.”

Images from a video surveillance camera show the gold ingot fell to the ground during the scuffle.

On Tuesday, the footballer returned to the shop, this time with his mother, the Aargauer Zeitung said.

He apologized to the owner and paid for damage done during the altercation.

He had apparently felt guilty about his actions after a friend of the store owner posted a photo, taken from the surveillance video, on Facebook, the newspaper said.

The onetime footballer, who played for German Bundesliga youth teams, turned himself into police, who have opened an investigation.

The incident follows an unsolved theft of gold coins from a precious metals shop in Sursee in the canton of Lucerne.