Referee Sascha Stegemann is out of the Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen due to illness. As the German Football Association (DFB) announced, the 40-year-old cannot take charge of the first Bundesliga game of the year on Friday evening (8.30 p.m.) due to a flu-like infection. Tobias Stieler takes over for him.
Stegemann was actually supposed to referee a Black-Yellow game for the first time in almost two years. The appointment had already caused a stir before the game. Stegemann denied BVB a legitimate penalty in the game at VfL Bochum at the end of April 2023. Due to the 1-1 draw, BVB lost two points in the duel with FC Bayern, who then won the German football championship on the last matchday. Stegemann, who had already apologized for his mistake the following day, received death threats and was under police protection for four weeks.
But it’s not just Stegemann who will be missing from the top game. The originally scheduled fourth official, Frank Willenborg, is also ill and, according to the DFB, will be replaced by Florian Badstübner.
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