Apart from the fact that domestic Arminia deep in the swamp of the Bundesliga scandal is already playing with the threatening forced departure in mind, everything is normal on this 25 March 1972. Saturday afternoon in the Bielefeld Stadium, which is still “Alm” at this time. 14,000 spectators have come to see the hosts against the MSV Duisburg. You do not suspect that you should witness a historical like curious event.

Referee Horst Bonacker from Quadrath-Ichendorf whistles the West duel and – despite some good chances of strokes as over there – even without further occurrences after a three-quarters of an hour at 0: 0. Half-time break. That these does not take the usual 15 but beaten 25 minutes, has its reason: because of a tendon injury Bonacker can not lead the game after the side change. Around the game begins the feverish search for a suitable replacement for the second passage. Finally, the executions of the previous referee assistant, a certain Walter Eschweiler from Bonn.

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And Eschweiler obviously brings the Armin luck. After gates of Jürgen Jendrossek and Uli Braun, they finally win 2: 0. Less the result, but rather the accompanying circumstances, however, go to the annals on this day: It is the first game of the Bundesliga history with two referees – this Friday it is the 50th time.

For the later referee icon Eschweiler, the use is not the first in the Bundesliga. But probably the only one he waves first and then whistles. 155 Games alone in the upper house, at the end of August 1966 and May 1984, he is completed at the pipe and, in addition, in numerous European, world and European champion games, as FIFA referees have brought to the highest fame.

Stalk had to fit twice 2022

In the Bundesliga, 21 games with two referees went through the stage including the premiere in Bielefeld. Prominent colleagues and successor Eschweiler were affected. The same twice it caught Robert Walz (Waiblingen, 1981 and 1985) and Peter Richmann (Leverkusen, 1989 and 1990), which was even replaced by the same colleague: Josef sparks from Heinsberg. The same happened Tobias Welz (Wiesbaden) 2015 and 2019, each replaced by Dr. med. Martin Thomsen (Kleve). This year, the Hamburg Tobias Stieler had to fit twice, Alexander Sather (Grimma) and Christian Dingert (Gries) jumped in January in Berlin and Freiburg for him.

When the waves are too high - Ede Staal

Meanwhile, Arminia Bielefeld “Meanwhile” for one of the most spectacular all referee changes during a game. On October 14, 1980, the now deceased Uli Burscher in Karlsruhe met after 70 minutes on a liberation with the ball with the ball as unhappy the head of referee Max Klauser (Vaterstetten) that this K.-O. went and brought to the hospital. Manfred Döllfel (Zirndorf) took over.