German referee under investigation for staging homophobic attack on himself after Cologne proposal

The alleged homophobic attacks on a German referee after he proposed to his boyfriend were a major topic last week.

There are now suspicions that the attacks may have been staged.

At the end of last week, police and prosecutors searched the home of amateur referee Pascal Kaiser. This was reported consistently by Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Tagesspiegel, and other German media outlets. According to the reports, the 27-year-old is under investigation on initial suspicion of fabricating a crime.

As Stadt-Anzeiger reports, citing investigative sources, IT forensics experts have “obtained indications that the alleged threatening emails sent prior to the attacks may have been fabricated by Kaiser or his partner.”

Authorities have reportedly seized various data storage devices and the mobile phones of both men. In addition, they have undergone forensic medical examinations. According to the newspaper, the expert report — which is not yet available — is intended to clarify whether the referee may have injured himself or been struck by his partner in order to stage the attacks.

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/heiratsantrag-im-stadion-hat-schiedsrichter-drohmails-fingiert-und-sich-selbst-verletzt-1221885

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/hausdurchsuchung-bei-pascal-kaiser-verletzte-sich-der-amateur-schiedsrichter-selbst-15265268.html