Exhaustion Sidelines Referee Stegemann from Dortmund’s Match

German referee Sascha Stegemann is still suffering from exhaustion and will be unable to officiate Borussia Dortmund’s opening match in the Bundesliga, two years after receiving death threats.

The German Football Association (DFB) announced on Thursday that Stegemann is recovering from a cold, and Tobias Stieler will replace him to referee Dortmund’s match against Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow (Friday).

Stegemann had received death threats after failing to award Dortmund a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Bochum in April 2023. That match cost Dortmund two crucial points in their title race, which Bayern Munich ultimately won after Dortmund failed to defeat Mainz on the final day of the season.

Stegemann apologized the day after the match and was placed under police protection for four weeks due to the threats. He has not officiated any Dortmund games since.

Dortmund coach Nuri Şahin urged fans on Wednesday to treat Stegemann with neutrality.

Şahin said: “No one in this world deserves death threats, no matter what happened. Of course, the decision was disastrous for us at Borussia Dortmund, but wishing someone death is unacceptable.”

He added: “I’m confident he will be a neutral referee who will do his best. He doesn’t need to make up for anything now. He just needs to officiate matches impartially.”