Referee Brych in front of Bundesliga record: “Proud of this longevity”

Catch up with Stark

Referee Felix Brych looks back fondly on his debut with three current Bundesliga coaches as players on the pitch and Jürgen Klopp on the sidelines. “I have very positive memories of my first game because it was always my goal to reach the Bundesliga. “I was very proud to have achieved this interim goal,” said the 48-year-old to “dpa”. With his appearance on Saturday in the game between Frankfurt and Stuttgart (to the live ticker), his 344th game, Brych equaled Wolfgang Stark’s Bundesliga record.

On August 28, 2004, in the 1-1 draw between Hertha BSC and 1. FSV Mainz 05, when current coaches Pál Dárdai, Niko Kovac and Marco Rose as well as long-time manager Fredi Bobic played, Brych stood where he always wanted to be: in the middle on the pitch in the Bundesliga. It was the beginning of a great career that took him to World and European Championships, the Olympic Games, the Champions League final and world referee honors. “I was happy when the game was over, even though it went well.”

Over the course of almost two decades, football, the tools with the “biggest turning point” through the video assistant or rule interpretations have changed. And for Brych also a look at himself: “The importance of myself on the pitch has diminished for me. When I think back to my first game, that was of course the greatest thing for me. I was in the Bundesliga, on television, and I felt very important.” The lawyer, who has a doctorate in law, “now feels very relaxed about being part of the Bundesliga. For me, it’s no longer so much about me as a person, but about officiating the game well for the teams.” He was named Referee of the Year in Germany for the sixth time this year – after almost two decades, the referee’s career is turning -Instance “no longer goes on forever”.

Stepping onto the Bundesliga stage was different for the Munich player – as well as for his colleagues – than it was for the football professionals. These usually first get a taste of themselves as jokers; referees have to get a zero-to-100 start. “Suddenly you’re the only one in focus, all the fans are looking at you, all the cameras – that’s a different situation for the referee than for the player,” said Brych. The referees are “right at the center”.

Brych: Kießling’s phantom goal “wasn’t that great for me”

The unloved moment of the phantom goal by Stefan Kießling, who ten years ago as a Leverkusen striker against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, scored a header through a hole in the side netting against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, will never be forgotten. “That wasn’t so great for me, even my World Cup participation was shaky. The pressure was very high for weeks,” Brych recently recalled on the anniversary. From the point of view of TSG sports director Alexander Rosen, this goal “laid the foundation for today’s goal line technology, which was decided by the league representatives only around a year after the alleged Kießling goal”.

Brych set a record for the fastest red card after kick-off when he sent off Cologne captain Youssef Mohamad after 87 seconds 13 years ago. The defender was sent off for an emergency stop against Erwin Hoffer from 1. FC Kaiserslautern. “After two minutes – that’s tough,” Brych said at the time. However, the rules gave him “no leeway”: “If I whistle foul, I have no other choice.”

And despite his great experience, the 48-year-old experienced something new shortly before the upcoming record: During FC Augsburg’s 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim on matchday 11, a firecracker was thrown towards the pitch and exploded near the corner flag. “It’s also a referee’s job that things always happen that you haven’t experienced before,” said Brych. He had never experienced such a loud bang in a stadium before.

The veteran kept a cool head and received praise for it after the game: “It’s good that people recognize that we have a great responsibility, not only for the decisions, but also for safety.” Internationally, where he works with Although he enjoyed alpha animals like Sergio Ramos or Zlatan Ibrahimović, he has not been in action since 2021. As a FIFA referee, Brych not only refereed games at international level, but also in national competitions in Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Tunisia – in the summer he refereed the Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK Saloniki.

Strong beyond record: “No one else will be able to achieve it”

“The record has great meaning for me. When I look back on my career, I am most proud of this longevity,” said Brych, who has been a DFB referee since 1999. “20 years of performing at this level physically, mentally and in terms of performance – that’s what defines my career.” As a look at the TM database shows, Brych has 1,217 yellow cards, 30 yellow-reds and 26 in the Bundesliga Red cards distributed. He decided on penalties a total of 97 times. He most often led VfB Stuttgart games (53 times), the most wins with 25 each came from Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg.

Referee Felix Brych in action

Wolfgang Stark is “relaxed” about the approaching end of his record record of six and a half years. In a DFB interview, the 54-year-old said: “I think no one else will be able to achieve that. This was never going to last forever and now it’s here. You also have to remember that I would never have set the record if Markus Merk hadn’t stopped a year earlier with six fewer games.

Unlike football stars, referees don’t have the chance to win championships or cups. On the other hand, there is a risk of going down in history because of wrong decisions. This makes records all the more beautiful. “Just like track and field athletes or swimmers want to achieve records so that they go down in the annals, that is also a goal for the referee,” said Brych. “Overall, we have little opportunity to go down in the annals – which is supposed to be our original goal: we should basically be the focus of attention as little as possible.”

This article was first published on November 21, 2023 and was updated with the kick-off of Brych’s record game.

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