Overview
- The Sunday Kreisliga game between SV Weilertal II and SV Hartheim-Bremgarten II served as Ziebold’s farewell when he officiated until about halftime and then stepped down.
- Ziebold, 90, has retired from active refereeing and the DFB said he ranks among the oldest active referees in Germany or in South Baden.
- He told reporters he has had fluid on his lung since December, has been treated with medication, and said his decision to stop was medically advised.
- Local teammates and club leaders called him a ‘‘legend’’ and warned the club will lose a reliable volunteer who rarely refused assignments.
- Coverage repeatedly cites a claim that he served ‘‘more than six decades,’’ a duration that the reports repeat but do not reconcile with other timeline details.