For German refereeing, Brych’s and Siebert's Euro effort is a success. For the first time since 1996 (Hellmut Krug and Bernd Heynemann), two German referees are appointed to a major tournament. The surprising Euro newcomer Daniel Siebert overtook three DFB colleagues standing above him. Referee chief Lutz Michael Fröhlich explains. "This is a remarkable signal for the referee development, while at the same time taking the performance principle into account. The nomination underlines that the current development and form of the referees also influence the decision," commented Fröhlich about Sieberts' appeal by the UEFA decision-makers. The 37-year-old Berliner is one of the top referees in the Bundesliga and has been a FIFA referee since 2015, but internationally only in the second highest ranking level, called First Category.
Siebert, who has so far made only four appearances in the Champions League and 13 in the Europa League, as well as leading nine international matches, did not assume that he would be eligible for the European Championship because he was not yet a member of the Elite Category. The German representatives In this illustrious circle are Felix Brych (45), who has been Germany's number one on the international stage for many years and will be going to his fourth major tournament, Deniz Aytekin (42), Felix Zwayer (40) and, since December 2020, Tobias Stieler (39). Siebert left the latter trio behind with this surprising overtaking maneuver, in which the UEFA officials guided him down the right lane, as it were in an industry in which the referees depend on teamwork, but are ultimately also lone fighters; this naturally not only caused applause. "Unfortunately, Deniz Aytekin only returned to the pitch in the final stages of last season after a long injury break and was therefore barely able to show himself in international matches. Therefore, a Euro nomination was not to be expected for him," said Fröhlich, explaining the situation of the top referee, which has been popular and respected by players in the Bundesliga for years. The situation is different with respect to Zwayer and Stieler. Fröhlich: "They are certainly two referees who had ambitions for Euro. But that's the way it is in sport, there is not only sunshine, there are not only victories, there is there is also something that feels like a defeat." Advice from the 63-year-old German referee boss: "It is important that you are not fundamentally called into question and, above all, that you do not fundamentally question yourself. Stay with yourself, reflect self-critically, see where something needs to be improved or changed and look ahead. That's the way."
Source: Kicker
