It’s not a good year for the football East and its former idols. With Bernd Bransch, the third extremely prominent actor of the “Golden Seventies” died. Hans-Jürgen Dörner and Joachim Streich had already left this world before Halle.

Death at 77: The former captain of the GDR national team Bernd Bransch is dead. As his long-standing club Hallescher FC learned from the family, the 77-year-old died on Saturday after a long illness. Bransch wore the jersey of the national team 72 times and was Olympic champion with the team in 1976 and Olympic bronze medalist in 1972.

Short, compact, clear

Captain of the legendary East German team: Bransch captained the team in West Germany in 1974, when a East German team took part in the World Cup. With his two goals in the decisive World Cup qualifier in a 2-0 win against Romania, he made himself immortal in the East. After Hans-Jürgen Dörner and Joachim Streich, Bransch is the third prominent East German footballer to die this year.

Mourning for Bransch: “On behalf of all members, active players, fans, sponsors, employees and committee representatives, I express our heartfelt condolences to the family of Bernd Bransch. It is up to all of us to cherish the memory of our honorary member, one of the most important personalities of the club and the most important ambassador of the city of Halle, and to continue his legacy,” said HFC President Jens Rauschenbach.