Referee Who Went Viral After Proposing To His Boyfriend Has Been Attacked For A Second Time

Pascal Kaiser, the bisexual German referee who went viral after proposing to his boyfriend on the pitch has reportedly been attacked for a second time since the proposal.

On 30 January, the 29-year-old proposed to his partner, Moritz, in front of almost 50,000 spectators ahead of a match between FC Köln and VfL Wolfsburg in Cologne. The clip swiftly went viral, with the internet comparing the proposal to a similar scene in the mega-hit romance Heated Rivalry – however the subsequent attacks show the depressing difference between the show and the reality we live in.

Kaiser, who came out as bisexual in 2021, is one of a few openly LGBTQ+ referees in professional football. In footage shared online, Kaiser told the crowd: “I want everyone to see that I love this person. A man. As a man. In football.”

On 7 February, 20 minutes after informing police of threats he had received, Kaiser was attacked by three men in his garden, leaving him with an injury to his right eye.

 

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It’s now been reported by French sports outlet L’Equipe that only two days later, on February 9, Kaiser was attacked again at his home by two individuals waiting for him on his doorstep. He was beaten in the face and torso, with officers reportedly arriving 30 minutes after the second attack was reported – despite supposedly being under police protection after the first attack.

The football club FC Köln has condemned the attack, saying on X: “The sheer hatred behind this cowardly attack confirms in a horrific way just how important our commitment as the FC family is against any form of violence. As 1. FC Köln, we stand by our conviction for acceptance, diversity, and equality — in sport and in society, on the pitch and in everyday life.”

After news of the second attack broke, Pascal Kaiser posted to his Instagram stories saying: “Not everything is easy right now. But I see your messages. Thank you.”