German referee reveals police protection after death threats

A German referee has reportedly revealed that he was placed under police protection for several weeks after receiving death threats in connection with a controversial call in the 2023 Bundesliga title race, reported dpa.

Referee Sascha Stegemann denied Borussia Dortmund a penalty in their 1-1 draw at Bochum in April 2023. Dortmund dropped two vital points and eventually lost out against Bayern Munich because they failed to win their last match.

Stegemann apologized for his mistake, which was not subject of a video review, the day after the match and also said he had received death threats.

The General-Anzeiger reported on Wednesday that Stegemann has now shared more details at a referee event in Cologne.

The report said that Stegemann realized post-match that he made the wrong call and that this one decision could influence the title race.

He said that two police officers came to his home late in the day after the match and informed him of death threats against himself and his family. Stegemann said he was accompanied by police to a TV interview the following day and protected overall for four weeks.

He also said his wife supported him to keep on refereeing after the incident.