Referee Stegemann 2023 received death threats after a crucial mistake that particularly annoyed Borussia Dortmund in the title race. Now he reports further details.
04.09.2024, 10:06
04.09.2024, 13:24
dpa
Bundesliga referee Sascha Stegemann reportedly spent four weeks under police protection after making a serious mistake. The referee had previously denied Borussia Dortmund a justified penalty in a match at VfL Bochum at the end of April 2023. As a result of the 1:1 draw, BVB lost two points in the duel with FC Bayern, who went on to win the German championship on the final matchday.
FIFA referee Stegemann had already apologized for his mistake the following day and later made death threats against him public. As reported by the "General-Anzeiger", the 39-year-old has now described further details of the hours and days following the match in front of other referees at the Cologne Sports University.
"Oh my God, they're tearing you apart"
In the dressing room, he found a message from his wife on his cell phone. She had written to him: "Oh my God, they're tearing you apart." Stegemann had been sure of his decision on the pitch; the video assistant had not asked him to review it. He only had his first doubts after the final whistle due to the reactions of the Dortmund players.
He realized that he had possibly influenced the German championship with a single decision. The referee from the Rhineland described how he had no recollection of the first 30 kilometers of the return journey. He canceled the trip the following day, which he had promised his son, in order to give interviews and take responsibility for his mistake.
Suddenly police officers at the front door
In the evening, two police officers rang his doorbell at home and reported concrete death threats against him and his family, Stegemann said according to the report. He was then accompanied to a television appearance in Munich the following day and protected for four weeks.
His wife had encouraged him to remain a referee. He admitted that he may have lost some of his passion after refereeing the DFB Cup final between Freiburg and Leipzig in 2022. "Maybe I felt invulnerable. But you have to be humble. You make most mistakes when you're successful."
