German referee assaulted following public proposal
February 11, 2026German soccer referee Pascal Kaiser was reportedly assaulted by three individuals outside his residence just days after his public proposal to his partner gained widespread attention. The incident, occurring late Saturday night into Sunday morning, follows Kaiser's viral moment where he proposed in front of 50,000 spectators at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion.
Last week, Kaiser captured global admiration when he publicly expressed his love for his fiancé during a football match, stating, "I want everyone to see that I love this person. A man. As a man. In football." The professional football club FC Köln, playing at the stadium, facilitated and celebrated the occasion, sharing a video of the heartfelt proposal and commending Kaiser's bravery. Kaiser has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility within sports, previously expressing his mission to "create visibility… and to encourage people who aren’t yet brave enough to speak up," aiming to combat feelings of isolation among queer individuals.
Prior to the assault, the bisexual referee had reported receiving numerous threatening messages, some explicitly containing his home address. Despite these concerns, authorities reportedly informed Kaiser that there was no immediate threat. According to Attitude, the attack occurred approximately 20 minutes after his call with the police, while he was in his garden. The assault resulted in an injury to Kaiser's right eye.
Spanish politician and prominent LGBTQ+ advocate Carla Antonelli condemned the attack on social media, sharing an image of Kaiser's injured face. Antonelli’s post highlighted the alarming message conveyed by such violence: "Terrible message, if you make yourself visible, we’ll put you in the closet." She further confirmed that police intervened post-attack and that Kaiser is now in a secure location under police protection. Both Pascal Kaiser's personal and the couple's shared Instagram accounts have since been set to private.