“It all started when my partner said to me one day: If you ask me to marry you one day, do it in a big way », Explained Pascal Kaiser to the media Taggespiegel. On Friday evening, this German amateur referee proposed to his boyfriend Mortiz in front of 50,000 spectators at the Cologne stadium.
The 27-year-old official publicly revealed his bisexuality in 2022. Followed by 40,000 people on Instagram, he takes advantage of his audience to raise awareness and point out homophobic discrimination. To the point that professionals from the German first division sometimes turn to him to ask him for advice, for example on coming out.
Despite his popularity on the networks, he confided to having feared the reaction of the public while the problems linked to homophobia are legion in the world of football. “Everything was there at the same time: fear, pride, pure happiness,” he described. I was really afraid of being booed, which would have ruined the whole request. It’s incredible that FC Cologne offered me this platform and that I was thus able to send a strong signal for the visibility of queer people in football. Standing in front of over 50,000 people listening to you is surreal. I was very afraid that he (her boyfriend) said not. »
“I wouldn’t have made it to all the stadiums”
But he was delighted by the reaction of the Cologne fans who cheered the couple: “When he said yes, the whole stadium shook,” he smiled. I haven’t had a single negative experience.”
Homophobic reactions, however, appeared on social networks and in particular under the video posted by FC Cologne. “Sometimes difficult” messages, confided Pascal Kaiser.
The referee also said that his marriage proposal would not have been received in the same way at different stages. “In St. Pauli it probably would have been as positive. In Frankfurt or Dresden it might have been more difficult. I wouldn’t have done it in all the stadiums. »
“Maybe it will even give some people a little kick in the butt to show them that this is all part of football,” he said. The existence of homosexual or bisexual players is completely ignored. »
