German media highlight reasons for referee’s suicide bid

German referee, Babak Rafati (AFP Photo/Thomas Kienzle)

German referee Babak Rafati tried to take his own life as he struggled to cope with excessive criticism from football fans and the media.A Bundesliga match between Cologne and Mainz was cancelled last Saturday when the referee failed to arrive at the stadium.Rafati was found bleeding in a bathtub in his hotel room just in time for doctors to prevent a lethal outcome.According to a number of articles in the German press, alcohol was found in the 41-year-old’s blood, but this was not the reason for the tragedy.Rafat received a lot of credit when he began his career back in 1997, with many seeing him as the successor of one of the country’s best ever referees, Marcus Merk.However, the opposite transpired when he was named the worst referee in Germany by the influential Kicker magazine.Under constant critical fire, Rafati lost his status as a FIFA referee and was banned from working on international matches as a consequence.Pages on social networks slamming the arbiter’s mistakes became so popular that some boasted over 2,500 subscribers.To make matters worse, because of his Iranian origins, Rafati was often the victim of racial abuse.After summing up all these factors, the German media came to the conclusion that such pressure was simply too much the referee.  It is not known whether Rafati will return to the pitch, or if the suicide bid will spell the end of his career
Source:http://rt.com/sport/football/babak-rafati-referee-germany-suicide-attempt-155/

.