Hertha fans honour late president Bernstein in funeral march

Thousands of Hertha Berlin fans marched together to Berlin's Olympic stadium in silent remembrance of club president Kay Bernstein, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday aged 43, reported dpa.

The procession on Sunday morning took place before Hertha's second division game against Fortuna Düsseldorf. The police spoke of a provisional figure of 7,000 participants.

Fans were dressed in black or wearing a Hertha blue training jacket, which was Bernstein's trademark. The president was a passionate Hertha fan and used to be an ultra.

His death is being investigated by the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt an the Oder. Preliminary results of a body autopsy found no signs of any outside involvement in his death and Bernstein "most likely assumes a natural death," a spokeswoman said.

Toxicological and histological samples were still being collected, and these will take time to examine.

The investigation is a standard procedure in such a case to clarify the cause of death.

Hertha has prepared a special matchday on Sunday and asked fans to "support each other and be empathetic, because coping with grief is individual."