Club responds to allegations against referee after stadium engagement

Public prosecutor’s office is investigating

Wanted referee: Cologne declares stadium engagement

The amateur referee Pascal Kaiser got engaged in the stadium before 1. FC Köln’s Bundesliga game – the public prosecutor’s office is looking for him. The Bundesliga club explains itself.

The pictures of Pascal Kaiser and his partner’s engagement before the Bundesliga game between the Rhinelanders and VfL Wolfsburg (1-0) went viral with 50,000 spectators just a few minutes after they said “I do”.

But the story has a catch. As the “Tagesspiegel” first reported, Kaiser has been wanted by the Cologne public prosecutor’s office for more than a year. After the public application on Instagram, the Cologne “Bierpongbar” made serious accusations, involving demands between 5,000 and 6,000 euros. According to the allegations, Kaiser is said to have stolen change from the cash register, organized a private birthday at company expense and embezzled sales.

The public prosecutor’s office explained to “Bild” and “Tagesspiegel” why Kaiser was still able to publicly propose to his partner. “The proceedings were temporarily discontinued here at the beginning of 2025 because there was no reliable information as to where the former employee actually lived or where he stayed for a longer period of time.”

At 1. FC Cologne they were surprised by the allegations. “When we received the request for the first homosexual marriage proposal in a Bundesliga stadium, it was natural for us to give this important symbol of queer visibility an appropriate framework. The positive reactions worldwide show how much power this symbol has developed,” the club said in response to a request from t-online.

Guests who are part of the stadium show or appear as interview partners in the club media are not subject to a police background check in advance.
“While a certificate of good conduct is mandatory when hiring new employees in sensitive areas such as youth work or fan support at 1. FC Köln, such an approach would be neither practical nor appropriate for interview partners in everyday life,” the club explained in response to a t-online request.

The association could not verify the allegations and would continue to stand for diversity, tolerance and non-discriminatory coexistence with deep conviction. When the allegations became known, Pascal Kaiser and the investigative authority were contacted.