There was big information emanating from the Bundesliga entrance on Sunday. Maybe German soccer’s most-respected match official, Dr. Felix Brych, can be hanging up his boots after the season. The 49-year-old introduced his resolution through German tv channel Welt TV.
Dr. Brych formally turned the Bundesliga’s all-time file holder for variety of prime flight matches officiated on matchday three of the present 2024/25 Bundesliga marketing campaign. He surpassed Wolfgang Stark’s earlier file of 344 Bundesliga fixtures officiated.
At current, Brych has reffed 352 Bundesliga video games. Retirement has however been within the playing cards for a while. Brych suffered a horrible PCL tear in November 2023 matchday 12 encounter between Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart. This was the sport by which he tied Stark’s file.
After being sidelined for almost a yr, Brych returned to work this autumn. A brand new damage incurred throughout a matchday 18 encounter between Holstein Kiel and Hoffenheim. which left him sidelined once more this yr.
Brych was already allowed to proceed past the traditional obligatory German refereeing retirement age of 47.
“As an athlete, one realises in some unspecified time in the future that it turns into more and more troublesome to take care of this efficiency degree,” Brych famous on the TV channel. “Coaching turns into increasingly arduous. It’s a dream to referee within the Bundesliga, but it surely should nonetheless be value it. I’m glad I can take this step. I want to set the end-line for myself.”
As is the case with any referee, Brych’s greatest profession errors will all the time be remembered. The phantom purpose awarded to Leverkusen’s Stefan Keißling in October 2013 shall by no means be forgotten by German soccer followers.
On the worldwide degree, Brych’s well-known non-call in Switzerland’s FIFA 2018 World Cup group stage win over Serbia shall by no means be forgotten. Brych was not allowed to whistle any extra video games at that event, although he was later rehabilitated for the 2021 European Championship.
Throughout his lengthy profession, Brych was honored as Referee of the Yr in Germany 5 instances (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021) and twice (2017 and 2021) as world’s greatest referee. He additionally whistled two DFB Cup finals in 2015 and 2021 and the UEFA Champions League Ultimate in 2017.
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