Pascal Kaiser, a German football referee who recently proposed to his boyfriend at a football match, has been attacked for a second time.
As L’Equipe reports, the 29-year-old was assaulted by two men in front of his home on February 9. Kaiser was beaten in the face and the torso. Police officers reportedly arrived 30 minutes after the attack.
This marks the second time Kaiser has been attacked since proposing at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne during a Bundesliga match between FC Köln and VfL Wolfsburg. He had contacted the police over threats he received on February 8, but was subsequently attacked by three men after stepping out into his garden for a cigarette.
Kaiser sustained an eye injury in the attack and later shared a photo on Instagram documenting the black eye. In the social media post, he expressed his belief that the assault was directly linked to his public proposal.
The referee’s proposal video was initially met with widespread support online after FC Köln shared the moment on Instagram, calling it a “special moment”. The post subsequently became one of the club’s most liked Reels, receiving more than 190,000 likes.
Kaiser has long been outspoken about his sexuality and the importance of representation in sport. Speaking previously to Schwulissimo, a prominent German LGBTQ+ news outlet, Kaiser described visibility as a personal mission. “I see this as my mission: to create visibility. To be a voice. And to encourage people who aren’t yet brave enough to speak up,” he said. “I know how lonely it can be to think you’re the only one. I want no one to have to feel that way again.”
After coming out publicly to the German press, Pascal Kaiser said he felt more confident on the pitch. “Since coming out, I’ve been much more open. I don’t hide anything anymore, and that makes me stronger, not weaker. We have to dare to be fully present,” he explained.
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