Hearing for appeal in Gräfe v. DFB case delayed

Football matches to resume - Hearing for appeal in Gräfe v. DFB case delayed

The court hearing to determine former referee Manuel Grafe's compensation claim against the German Football Association (DFB) has been canceled and rescheduled indefinitely. The scheduled Thursday session was abruptly called off by the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court because of material alterations to the complaint made on Wednesday night, according to a response provided to the German Press Agency. No alternative date has been set for the hearing.

In the summer of 2021, Grafe's Bundesliga career came to an end owing to the then-DFB age limit of 47 years. In November 2022, the Frankfurt District Court awarded Grafe, now 50, a winning compensation amount of 48,500 euros in a dispute with the DFB over age discrimination.

Grafe disagreed with this decision, as the court had not included a potential loss of earnings for the 2021/22 season due to age discrimination in the compensation. His claim for this sum was denied on the grounds that there would have been no assurance of a certain number of appearances even if he had sought a spot on the Bundesliga referees' list. Both Grafe and the DFB lodged appeals against the Frankfurt District Court's judgement.

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1. The Higher Regional Court Frankfurt, overseeing the appeal hearing, postponed the decision in the legal dispute between Manuel Gräfe and the DFB due to last-minute alterations to Gräfe's complaint.
2. Despite the cancellation of the hearing, Germany awaits the resolution of Gräfe's claim for damages against the DFB, first made in the Bundesliga, as both parties have lodged appeals.
3. The hearing, initially scheduled in the city of Frankfurt am Main, will now be rescheduled by the Higher Regional Court, with no exact date provided to the German Press Agency.
4. In a summer 2021 decision, the then-DFB imposed an age limit of 47 years on Gräfe, effectively ending his Bundesliga career.
5. In a shocking turn of events earlier this year, the Frankfurt District Court awarded Gräfe a compensation of 48,500 euros for age discrimination, overruling the DFB's original decision.
6. However, the compensation did not cover potential losses in earnings during the 2021/22 season, leading Gräfe to file an additional appeal for damages with the Higher Regional Court.
7. The German Football Association disputed Gräfe's claim, asserting that no certain number of appearances could have been guaranteed if he had attempted to join the Bundesliga referees' list.
8. Gräfe's case has garnered significant attention in Berlin, Hesse, and throughout German soccer communities, as refereeing controversies often shape the outcomes of Bundesliga and German national team matches.

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