German soccer referee Pascal Kaiser has been the target of a brutal attack just days after becoming a viral personality by publicly proposing to his partner in a soccer stadium. Kaiser proposed to his fiancé last week during half-time at the RheinEnergie Stadium in Cologne in front of around 50,000 spectators. In front of the packed stands, he said: “I want everyone to see that I love this person. A man. As a man. In football.”
The club 1. FC Köln, in whose stadium the engagement took place, publicly supported the gesture. He wrote on the published video that Pascal Kaiser is a referee, a big fan of the club and a queer man who publicly came out three years ago. “He had a special plan today that FC Köln supported. Congratulations to you both,” the club said.
According to the French newspaper L’Équipe, Kaiser was attacked by three men in front of his house on the night of Saturday to Sunday. The attack was preceded by threats that the referee received on social networks, while some of the messages also included his home address. Kaiser contacted the police before the incident, but was told he was not in immediate danger. Attitude magazine reported that approximately 20 minutes after the call to the police, Kaiser was attacked in the garden of his home after lighting a cigarette.
The attackers injured his right eye. After the attack, the police intervened and the referee was moved to a safe place, where he is under police protection. The Spanish politician and activist for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, Carla Antonelli, also expressed public support for him. She posted a photo of his injured face on Instagram and called the attack a “terrible message” that attackers are using to punish visibility and force people to hide again.
Pascal Kaiser’s Instagram accounts, as well as the joint account with his partner, are currently set to private. The referee has been involved in supporting the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in sports for a long time. In the past, he told the Schwulissimo portal that he considers his public involvement a mission. “I want to be a voice and encourage people who don’t have the courage to speak up. I know how lonely it is to feel like you’re alone. I don’t want anyone to ever have to feel that way again,” he said.
