Brych receives bitter diagnosis after record match
Nobody has officiated more matches in the Bundesliga than Felix Brych. However, his 344th assignment was one of the bitterest. The referee injured his knee and had to be replaced. The devastating diagnosis: a torn cruciate ligament.
Felix Brych's historic evening ended dramatically at Frankfurt University Hospital. Instead of a leisurely kick-off, the record-breaking referee was taken for an MRI scan after his 344th Bundesliga match - and on Sunday morning his worst fears were confirmed: A torn cruciate ligament in his right knee. The 48-year-old will have to wait a long time to set his own record; for now, he faces an operation and months of torment in rehab.
"I thought, this can't be true," Brych said dejectedly on Sky immediately after the final whistle: "I'm standing here, I've got the record and I'm happy about that, but on the other hand I'm also a bit down." There was already a suspicion of a cruciate ligament rupture, which was confirmed at the university hospital. "I was really looking forward to the game, it was something special. It's tragic that it ended like this," he complained to Sport1.
He described his mishap during Eintracht's 2:1 (1:2) draw against VfB Stuttgart after around half an hour as follows: "I twisted my ankle. The pitch was slippery - and then I realized that my knee wasn't so good." After a three-and-a-half-minute treatment break by the Frankfurt team doctor, Brych continued to whistle with tape on his knee. He refereed a Bundesliga match for around 15 minutes with a torn cruciate ligament, as it turned out afterwards.
He had actually felt "no pain" and "was able to walk", the Munich player explained his decision to continue the game. On the advice of the doctors and because of the "bad diagnosis", he stayed in the dressing room after the break. Fourth official Patrick Schwengers therefore made his debut in the top flight at the restart after four second division matches.
Despite his premature departure, Brych equaled Wolfgang Stark's record from May 2017. "I'm proud, of course, because this number also expresses a certain longevity," Brych said before the match about his record. He will now need a lot of stamina to snatch the sole record in a few months' time with his 345th Bundesliga appearance.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, the DFB expressed their support for Felix Brych, assuring him of their confidence in his recovery and return to officiating in the Soccer Bundesliga. The incident brought attention to the demanding nature of the referee's role and the importance of backup referees in maintaining the continuity of games.
Source: www.ntv.de
