He had moved the international LGBT community by proposing to his fiancé at the Cologne stadium in the middle of a football match on January 30. The German referee Pascal Kaiser was assaulted at home after facing homophobic threats on social media.
His marriage proposal, on January 30 during a Bundesliga match in front of 50,000 people at the Cologne stadium, had touched the hearts of queers. The amateur German referee Pascal Kaiser, 27 years old, and active on social media against LGBTphobia, has since been the victim of a homophobic assault at his home. According to L’Équipe, three people waited for him in his garden on the night of Saturday, February 7 to assault him. In the photos published, he shows several bruises on his face, notably around the eyes.
Since this marriage proposal, the couple had been the target of cyberbullying and threats. The sports daily reports that Pascal Kaiser had alerted the police the day before his assault, while a message specifically targeted him by mentioning his place of residence. The referee reportedly alerted the police who did not perceive an immediate danger.
“Pride and Pure Happiness”
The marriage proposal had, however, been a resounding success. When on the edge of the pitch, Pascal Kaiser knelt and his partner, Moritz, uttered a strong “yes” with a nod, the couple was cheered. “The whole stadium trembled. I did not have a single negative experience (…) Everything was there at once: fear, pride and pure happiness”, he told Tagesspiegel, the Berlin daily that put the touching story on its front page. Since his act of visibility, Pascal Kaiser, who has 52,000 followers on Instagram, has had to restrict his account to private in order to protect himself.
HE SAID YES! 🌈💍
The moment queer football fan Pascal proposed to his boyfriend before a Bundesliga game.
Pascal Kaiser came out three years ago. He is also an Amateur referee and a huge fan of Bundesliga side Cologne. pic.twitter.com/fx3FdfTIw2
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) February 2, 2026
