In addition to Felix Brych, Daniel Siebert, a second German referee, was appointed to the Euro this summer. The nomination is not only a surprise for experts, but also for the 36-year-old Berliner himself. On the day of the nomination, Siebert could hardly put his luck into words. In was a Bundesliga match day and Siebert was assigned to the game Hoffenheim against Mönchengladbach. "We were in the car, from the Frankfurt Airport to Sinsheim, when a message about the Euro referee team popped up on my assistant Lasse Koslowski’s mobile phone. It also said my name," reports the 36-year-old. "That was madness - and I had to deal with that first." Jan Seidel was also there in the car. He was not only scheduled as an assistant in Hoffenheim, but will also accompany his "boss" in this role to the Euro. Rafael Foltyn from Wiesbaden will also be there as an assistant. "It was funny that I was able to speak to Rafael Foltyn briefly on the day of the nomination because he was assigned as a video assistant for our game in Hoffenheim," said Siebert of the arrival at the stadium in Sinsheim. After the short joy, the full concentration was then on the Bundesliga game. "The game went well. And then we had a toast in the stadium with a glass of Alsterwasser or Radler. That had to be. But now I will remain an ascetic until after the European Championships," says the 1.90 meter tall referee.
Champions League debut in 2018
Daniel Siebert has been a referee since 1998. He referees for FC Nordost Berlin. Since 2009 he has been leading games in the 2nd Bundesliga. His first encounter in the German upper house of football was the encounter between FC Schalke and FC Augsburg three years later. Another 120 games have been added since then. The first international match under his direction was the encounter between Luxembourg and Moldova in June 2015. He made his debut in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in October 2018 in Liverpool's 4-0 win against Red Star Belgrade. The surprise of being called to the 2020 European Championship was so big because Siebert was primarily pursuing a different goal: "I wanted to be promoted to the Elite category, the highest ranking in European refereeing." So far, the 36-year-old belongs to the second highest category, the First category. "When I was recently scheduled for the Europa League quarter-final Dinamo Zagreb against Villarreal, I was told that this was an important game. I thought it was for my promotion, though." As it turned out in retrospect, this statement was more likely to refer to the Euro nomination. Either way, the game went very well from the referee's point of view and Team Siebert received a lot of praise. Obviously a door opener. "I don't know if it has ever happened that a referee who does not belong to the highest category has been invited to such a big tournament," he says - and there is a little pride in his words.
"Referee with a great understanding of football"
Even if referees know that some matches are ground-breaking for their further advancement, it would be too easy to make this success dependent only on the game in Zagreb. Siebert has been convincing for a long time with consistently very good performances - nationally and internationally. "He is a referee with a great understanding of football and good communication on the field," says Lutz-Michael Fröhlich, the sporting director of the Geramn elite referees. "In his role as a referee, he is very straightforward." From June 7, all Euro referees will move into their camp in Istanbul. UEFA will decide at short notice the actual appointments of the 51 games between June 11 and July 11. "It feels like a dream," says the German referee and still can't really believe that he is there. Despite his success, the Berliner has remained down to earth. When the first wave of congratulations and press inquiries has subsided, he wants to calmly prepare for the tournament. He is used to pressure. Referees at this level have to endure it, as Siebert and his team recently demonstrated at the top match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in early April.
Professional and personal happiness
At the Euro, a significant change is likely to come for the referees, because spectators will probably be admitted to the games. "For more than a year we have got used to refereeing games without an audience. If there are 10,000 or 20,000 spectators again now, it will be a different situation, a different stadium feeling. We have to be mentally prepared for that," thinks the 36-year-old, very specific about the tournament. But at this moment he also thinks of another event that, for once, has nothing to do with football: This year, he and his wife will become parents for the first time. The couple is really looking forward to it. The child will probably be born during the Euro. Even if Daniel Siebert may not be there at the birth, he will at least be able to tell his child later about what he experienced at the European Championship.
Source: DFB
