Denis Aytekin announces the end of his career as a referee. – All football

At 44, Deniz Aytekin is ending his career as a referee. The German thus closes a chapter that began 12 years earlier. Aytekin has refereed over 560 matches in all competitions.

Officiating in 21 Champions League and 22 Europa League matches, as well as several international matches. However, he does not have any meetings refereed in the World Cup or the Euro.

With nearly 200 whistled matches in the German Bundesliga, he was voted best referee last season.

“The main reason is that I want to spend more time with my family and friends. International trips take too long and are physically demanding. The level of my German colleagues also weighed in my decision. We have many young referees who can take the next step on the international stage and we also have very good experienced referees who deserve to officiate international matches”, he explained on the website of the German Football Federation.

Despite his impressive CV, he is still known worldwide for having refereed the comeback between Barça and PSG in the 2016-2017 Champions League. Historic match where his decisions had been strongly criticized, especially by Parisian fans…