Referee dies after serious illness
German handball mourns the loss of Marcus Helbig
11.09.2025 – 9:57 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Handball referee Marcus Helbig died at the age of 53 after serious illness. The DHB and companion mourn.
German handball has to say goodbye to one of his most famous referees: Marcus Helbig died at the age of 53 after a serious illness.
As the German Handball Association (DHB) announced, citing information from the family, Helbig died in Halle/Saale. The former impartial leaves two sons and his partner.
DHB President Andreas Michelmann was deeply affected: The death of Helbig made him very affected, said Michelmann. “Experience Marcus and his struggle with the disease has hurt, but I have the greatest respect for how he accepted this challenge and fought until the end. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time.”
Together with his long -time partner Lars Geipel, Helbig managed over 600 games in German handball from 1993 to 2021. More than 250 missions were added at the international level, including appearances at the 2012 Olympics in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The Champions League final 2017 and 2019 in Cologne as well as numerous games at European and World Championships were also among the highlights of their career.
“As a team partner, Marcus was part of my life. I admired how he defied his illness for a long time and always broadcast confidence. It hurts me in my heart. He will be very absent in my heart,” said Lars Geipel, who was chosen four times as Germany’s arbitrator of the year.