“What’s wrong with someone like that?”
Chief doctor insulted Bundesliga referees
May 6, 2026 – 5:18 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Deniz Aytekin will still be in action in the Bundesliga until the end of the season. After that it’s over. Now the 47-year-old talks about the hatred against referees.
Bundesliga referee Deniz Aytekin gave an insight into his career and also drew attention to the hatred that the referees have to endure again and again. The 47-year-old, who is ending his career after the current season, reported in a “Stern” interview, among other things, an incident in which he was contacted by email by a head physician at a large German clinic and verbally attacked.
“He insulted me so much, asshole was the friendliest word,” said Aytekin and added: “What’s wrong with someone who helps others every day that he forgets himself like that?”
The Nuremberg native with Turkish roots never felt discriminated against in his work. “The idiots are not dying out,” Aytekin said about any insults. “But I don’t hear that in the stadium, and I don’t have to read what happens on the Internet. To a certain extent, I just don’t care.”
The three-time DFB referee of the year has been refereeing in the Bundesliga since 2008 and is now one of the most popular and sought-after referees in the German upper house. However, he now stated that he had asked himself more frequently whether refereeing still made sense to him.
“This hate over and over again, do I want to endure this? Can my family endure this? No sport in the world is worth putting yourself in danger,” he clarified. Ultimately, his love for football always triumphed over his doubts. The people around him, who didn’t just see him as a referee, also helped. “Luckily, I had enough people for whom I’m just Deniz.”
