Bundesliga shock
November 19, 2011
Matches in Germany's Bundesliga on Saturday have been overshadowed by the attempted suicide of a referee.
Babak Rafati, a referee with the German Football Association (DFB) since 1997, was discovered by his assistants in a Cologne hotel bathtub with his wrists sliced shortly before he was due to officiate in the game between Cologne and Mainz.
Police say Rafati is now out of danger after an operation in hospital. The match was called off after no replacement for Rafati could be found.
DFB President Theo Zwanziger told reporters that Rafati was stable, but would need intensive treatment over the coming days.
'Incredible pressure'
The incident comes just two years after the tragic death of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, who took his life after battling with depression for several years.
"I can only offer that our referees are exposed to an incredible amount of pressure and we have not managed to get things in the proper balance," Zwanziger said Saturday.
The 41-year-old Rafati made his Bundesliga debut in 2005, also in a match between Cologne and Mainz.
He had often been criticized by Bundesliga players, and had several times been voted worst referee in the league by German magazine Kicker.
Matches go on
Despite the cancellation of the Cologne-Mainz match, Saturday's other games went ahead as scheduled.
Borussia Mönchengladbach claimed a 5-0 victory at home over Werder Bremen, with Marco Reus scoring three goals for his team. Patrick Herrmann and Juan Arango rounded out the score.
Schalke also had a convincing victory, beating Nuremberg 4-0. Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored twice, bringing his tally to 23 for Schalke this season in all competitions.
Wolfsburg gave away just one goal in their home victory 4-1 against Hanover. Hasan Salihamidzic took his team to a two-goal lead, before Hanover's Christian Schulz scored in the 43rd minute to give his team an apparent comeback chance.
But this was dashed when Wolfsburg defender Chris headed one in after the half, followed by a red card for Hanover striker Didier Ya Konan for kicking the ball into a Wolfsburg player on the ground. Alexander Madlung completed a decisive win with a direct free kick into goal in the 74th.
Freiburg managed to salvage a 2-2 draw at home against Hertha Berlin, with Stefan Reisinger scoring the vital equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time.
In the last match of the day, defending champion Dortmund opened up the Bundesliga title race with their 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. Dortmund's 19-year-old Mario Götze scored the goal midway through the second half.
The win is Dortmund's sixth in seven league games and puts them in second place on 26 points, two behind Bayern.
Author: Timothy Jones (AP, Reuters)
Editor: Martin Kuebler