Zinnbauer leaves Pirates to be with family after son’s horror car accident
Speculation about the future of Josef Zinnbauer with Orlando Pirates came to the fore when he flew to Germany shortly after beating Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 in the MTN 8 semifinal.
Josef Zinnbauer, coach of Orlando Pirates Pic: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Zinnbauer’s departure from South Africa raised eyebrows on Saturday afternoon with Pirates administrative official Floyd Mbele claiming they knew the coach would have to travel back home to Germany ten days before the derby.
READ: We knew about Zinnbauers family issue 10 days ago says Pirates Floyd Mbele
Reports coming out of Germany suggest Zinnbauer’s son Fabio is in a coma after a station wagon he is believed to have been driving crashed into a truck on the road. The 24-year-old is said to be in serious condition in hospital after the accident which prompted Zinnbauer to travel to Germany to be with his family.
The cause of the accident is not known as the police have opened an investigation into the crash that happened on the 23rd of October. The 24-year-old plays for SV Gutenstetten-Steinachgrund E.V in the lower league.
Zinnbauer travelled on Saturday before Germany went into hard lockdown which would have kept him in South Africa due to the travel restriction.
“Fabio is seriously injured and is in a coma. The police are investigating,” read a report on BILD “Fabio is a passionate fan of 1. FC Nürnberg and plays in the regional league Middle Franconia at SV Gutenstetten-Steinachgrund, between Nürnberg and Würzburg.”
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