Volkan Kahraman, who played on the international stage for Austria, has been shot dead in a city street murder-suicide.
The 43-year-old, who also played for Dutch sides Feyenoord and Excelsior, was shot dead on Wednesday outside a bar in Vienna. Kahraman had reportedly been in an argument with a former friend and business associate before the incident took place.
The killer then reportedly turned the gun on himself. Austrian police have confirmed they have opened an investigation into the incident, and spokesman Daniel Furst, said: “We were called to the scene at around 11.40am, but every attempt at resuscitation proved fruitless.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Tributes have poured in for the former footballer, with ex-side Austria Vienna tweeting: “Rest in peace, Volkan. Austria Vienna wish great strength to those who he leaves behind, above all his family and close friends.”
Dutch side Excelsior added: “We received the sad news that our former player Volkan Kahraman has died as a result of a crime. The 43-year-old Austrian played for our club from 1998 to 2000 and came to 63 matches, in which he scored five times.”
While the Austrian national team tweeted out a photo of Kahraman playing for them in black and white, with the message: “RIP. Volkan Kahraman.”
Kahraman had a journeyman career in his homeland, despite coming through the Feyenoord academy.
In 2002, he made three appearances for the Austrian national team, his only competitive appearance coming against Belarus in a 2-0 win during a Euro 2004 qualifier. Kahraman hung up his boots in 2009, when he was playing in the lower Austrian divisions.