In the 15th minute of the match between Wolfsburg and Cologne in round 19 of the Bundesliga, Cologne defender Max Finkgrafe had a fierce tackle. Unexpectedly, the ball hit assistant referee Thorben Siewer straight in the head.
Assistant referee Max Finkgrafe left the field stunned and unable to continue his duties (Photo: Getty).
Max Finkgrafe's powerful and close-range kick left referee Thorben Siewer unconscious. Medical staff immediately entered the field to take care of the assistant referee. They stretched a tarpaulin around to avoid sensitive images from reaching the audience.
After about 20 minutes of care, referee Thorben Siewer was able to stand up on his own, but he still felt dizzy and could not continue his duties in this match. The Volkswagen Arena announcer turned on the loudspeaker to call for help from the audience to help the fourth referee perform his duties.
Finally, Tobias Krull, goalkeeper and sporting director of MTV Gifhorn (an amateur football team in Braunschweig), volunteered for the job. In fact, Tobias Krull has a refereeing license and played for Wolfsburg from 2010 to 2012.
Therefore, Tobias Krull fulfilled his duties well until the end of the match. He managed the technical area, took notes of the match minutes, and made substitutions.
Fan Tobias Krull (blond hair, standing in the middle) went onto the field to replace the 4th referee (Photo: Kicker).
This is a rare occasion in football history where a fan has taken on the role of referee. In 2015, in a match between Newport County and Porthsmouth in League Two (England's fourth tier), a fan "reluctantly" volunteered to be the fourth referee after the main referee was injured.
However, this person only did his job for a few minutes, not the majority of the match like Tobias Krull.
The match between Wolfsburg and Cologne ended in a 1-1 draw. Alidou opened the scoring for Cologne in the 37th minute, before Kevin Paredes equalized for Wolfsburg late in the first half.
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