Criticism after the DFB Cup semi-final
“Incredibly outrageous”: support for referee Welz
April 26, 2026 – 6:00 p.mReading time: 1 min.
After the DFB Cup semi-final between Stuttgart and Freiburg, referee Tobias Welz came under criticism. A colleague is now supporting him.
Referee Patrick Ittrich clearly supported his colleague Tobias Welz. Welz was massively criticized by both sides after the DFB Cup semi-final between VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg. The trigger was a scene at the beginning of extra time: Welz had disallowed a Freiburg goal with a premature whistle and called for a foul. Stuttgart won 2-1. The DFB then admitted a wrong decision.
Ittrich confirmed that the decision was wrong. However, he called the public reaction to this unacceptable. In the “double pass” he said: “I have to say one thing: I find it incredibly outrageous that a referee is ruined in a scene. I have to say that very clearly.”
At the same time, he asked for Welz’s understanding: “The person who is incredibly annoyed about it and can’t sleep for days is the referee. There is no question that SC Freiburg was at a disadvantage as a result.”
After the cup game there was great discontent, especially in the Freiburg camp. “If that’s a foul, then I think I have to end my career here and now because it’s really nothing,” said Christian Günter angrily. He received encouragement from Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav, among others. “We couldn’t have made a more blatant mistake,” said the national player. He also criticized Welz’s basic communication.
