German football referee Pascal Kaiser reveals he was attacked at home

On February 9, 2026, local and international media outlets in Germany reported that referee Pascal Kaiser, who proposed to his boyfriend on the field after a Cologne-Wolfsburg match, was attacked in his backyard a week later. The incident took place in Cologne and Kaiser said he had received threats after the proposal.

According to French publication L’Equipe, Kaiser went to the police to express his concerns about his safety. However, he later said he was physically attacked by three men in the garden of his home. Kaiser shared a photo on his social media account showing his injured eye and attributed the attack to his open and visible marriage proposal on the pitch.

Prior to the incident, Kaiser had proposed to his long-term partner Moritz in front of 50,000 fans at a Cologne match in the German Bundesliga. The club’s official post noted that he had come out as queer three years ago and wanted to create visibility. “I don’t want to hide. I want to be visible,” Kaiser said at the stadium.

The details of the investigation into the attack are not yet fully public. There has been no official word on the identity of the attackers or whether they have been detained. Kaiser has refereed in the lower leagues for many years and has stressed the importance of LGBTQI+ visibility in football in previous interviews.

Powered by Froala Editor