Hannover keeper to undergo psychological therapy

BERLIN (AP)—Hannover’s backup goalkeeper Markus Miller is to undergo therapy for mental exhaustion, reawakening memories of the tragic death of another Hannover goalkeeper, Robert Enke.

Miller said in a statement issued by Hannover Monday that he wanted to tell “my club, our fans and the media about my illness” and that he would start treatment “immediately.”

“Since I became a professional goalkeeper, I’ve been working with pressure, dedication and always with full commitment to build on my performances, to improve and stay at the top level, to put them at the service of my team and club,” the 29-year-old goalkeeper said.

“For some time I’ve had less and less of a feeling of really helping the team or bringing about something essential. Then I experienced a lot of increasing pressure and tension which began to affect me.”

Miller said he has already had consultations with psychologist and psychotherapist Martin Braun and he will now start treatment in Gelsenkirchen in order “to make the symptoms more bearable.”

The treatment will last several weeks.

Hannover said Miller, who joined the club in June 2010, will receive the club’s full support, “not least because of the experience … of the tragedy of Robert Enke.”

Enke, the former Hannover and Germany goalkeeper, suffered from depression and committed suicide by stepping in front of a train on Nov. 10, 2009. He was 32.

“This move is a big sign of courage,” Hannover president Martin Kind said. “His decision deserves utmost respect.”

The club asked for Miller and his family to be shown privacy and respect for their situation.

“We will sustain and protect him because he is openly facing up to his psychological difficulties, still treated as a taboo subject in our society,” Hannover’s sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said.

Miller’s decision was welcomed by Germany coach Joachim Loew, and also praised by Enke’s widow Teresa, who said he “deserves the highest appreciation.” She said the full support shown by his club and his open approach “are very positive signals.”