Having officiated in the Bundesliga since 2004, Felix Brych is drawing the curtain on a long and distinguished career in officiating, hanging up his whistle after the current season. The 49-year-old referee announced his decision via German television channel Welt TV. Brych officially became the Bundesliga’s all-time record holder for number of top-flight matches officiated on the third matchday of the current 2024/25 Bundesliga season. He surpassed Wolfgang Stark’s previous record of 344 Bundesliga matches officiated. At present, Brych has refereed 352 Bundesliga games. Retirement has nevertheless been in the cards for some time. Brych suffered a horrible PCL tear in a November 2023 match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart. This was the game in which he tied Stark’s record. After being sidelined for nearly a year, Brych returned to work this autumn. A new injury occurred during the match between Holstein Kiel and Hoffenheim, which left him sidelined again this year. Brych was already allowed to continue beyond the normal mandatory German refereeing retirement age of 47. Referees with most appearances in the Bundesliga: Felix Brych 352, Wolfgang Stark 344, Markus Merk 338, Manuel Gräfe 289, Florian Meyer 287.
“As an athlete, one realises at some point that it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain this performance level,” Brych said on the TV channel. “Training is always getting more difficult. I must go beyond the limit as there is an extreme effort I have to make. It is a dream to referee in the Bundesliga, but it must be worth it. I am pleased to be able to take this step, as I want to bring it to an end myself." As is the case with any referee, Brych’s biggest career mistakes will always be remembered. The phantom goal awarded to Leverkusen’s Stefan Keißling in October 2013 will not be forgotten by German football fans. At the international level, Brych’s famous non-call in Switzerland’s FIFA 2018 World Cup group stage win over Serbia did not allow him to referee any more games at that tournament, though he was later rehabilitated for the 2021 European Championship. During his long career, Brych was honored as Referee of the Year in Germany five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021) and twice (2017 and 2021) as world’s best referee. He also refereed two German Cup finals in 2015 and 2021 and the UEFA Champions League Final in 2017.
Source: Yahoo
