Birmingham City striker Marvin Ducksch has been fined more than £16,000 after he drunkenly crashed his Mercedes just two hours after a match, injuring two women. The 32-year-old German international was told he was 'lucky to be alive' following the serious collision with two cars on the A3400 Stratford Road near Henley-in-Arden, close to the club's training ground.
Incident Details
Ducksch came on as a late substitute in Birmingham City's 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Portman Road on April 6. Hours after the game, he got behind the wheel of his Mercedes while over the legal alcohol limit. He was trying to change the music in his car when he clipped two oncoming vehicles. Police detained him at the scene.
Court Proceedings
At Warwickshire Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Ducksch pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol. He was fined £16,155 and disqualified from driving for 14 months. Wearing a green shirt and black trousers, he was seen arriving at court sipping a bottle of mineral water.
Prosecutor Lina Akther told the court that Ducksch had consumed alcohol before driving but 'thought he would be under the limit.' He recorded 53 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 micrograms. A roadside breathalyser initially showed 65 micrograms.
In a prepared statement, Ducksch admitted he had alcohol before driving and said he moved his car slightly to avoid a tree branch, then changed his music and clipped an oncoming car and another following behind. He was apologetic.
Club and Personal Consequences
Julia Morgan, mitigating, said Birmingham City had imposed its own punishments, including financial penalties and benching Ducksch for several matches. He played only 27 minutes in the final five games of the season following the crash. Morgan described him as a 'young man of impeccable character' with no previous convictions, who waited at the scene and checked on the welfare of other vehicle occupants.
Chair Magistrate John Kiely fined Ducksch £16,155, plus a £2,000 victim surcharge, £1,000 to each victim, and £85 costs. Kiely said: 'You can consider yourself lucky that you weren't killed and that the other drivers weren't killed.' Ducksch avoided jail as his alcohol level was in the lowest category, typically punishable by a fine. The fine was about 150% of his weekly income, estimated at £16,000. He opted to pay the £20,240 total in monthly £2,000 instalments.
Club Statement
Birmingham City issued a statement at the time, confirming Ducksch had been charged and that he apologised, accepting full responsibility. The matter was dealt with internally. Ducksch joined Birmingham City in a £2 million deal in August 2025, with owner Tom Brady pushing for the transfer.
