Rafati in stable condition

German FA president Theo Zwanziger has confirmed football referee Babak Rafati is in a stable condition after a suicide attempt.

Rafati was scheduled to officiate in a Bundesliga match on Saturday between Cologne and Mainz but the match was postponed after the official was found seriously injured in his hotel room.

Fans at the Rhein-Energie Stadion were still arriving for the match with less than an hour until kick-off, when Cologne announced the match would not take place.

News reports revealed that Rafati had attempted suicide and he was rushed to the Eduardus Hospital when found by hotel staff.

Zwanziger travelled to Cologne and addressed the press about Rafati’s condition, confirming that the referee was okay.

“Rafati is out of danger. (He is in) serious but stable condition,” Zwanziger said, before explaining how he was found.

“When he did not show up for breakfast and then for the pre-game talk, the assistant referees first tried to reach him by telephone in his room. They went up and found the door locked.”

“They knocked, no one opened, then they quickly opened the door with the help of hotel staff. He was in the bath tub – obviously there was a lot of blood. If he is out of danger, then the assistant referees are to thank for that.”

Zwanziger confirmed Rafati would be given ‘intensive treatment’ in the future and that the police had found notes of written paper in his room.

He also took the chance to comment on the intense pressure that referees face in modern football.

“I can only say that the pressure on the referees in professional sport is immense and we maybe fail to find the right balance,” he said.

Rafati has officiated 84 Bundesliga matches since 2005.