Overview

• The Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt unexpectedly postponed its ruling and reopened oral proceedings in Manuel Gräfe’s appeal against the DFB’s age limit policy.
• Presiding Judge Richard Kästner indicated doubts over whether the DFB’s decision to end Gräfe’s Bundesliga refereeing on April 19, 2021, was fully established at that time.
• To address these questions, the DFB must deliver its statutes, especially those on refereeing, to the court within three weeks.
• Gräfe, who was forced to retire at 47 after 289 Bundesliga matches, is now seeking approximately €830,000 in lost earnings on top of the €48,500 previously awarded.
• Both the former referee and the DFB have been asked to state if they agree to resolve remaining factual issues through written submissions.