Trio of German match referees announce retirement decision

Bundesliga referees Deniz Aytekin, Tobias Welz and Frank Willenborg will retire from refereeing at the end of the 2025/26 season

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Aytekin, 47, and Welz, 48, are two of the Bundesliga's longest-serving officials, having first overseen a top-flight fixture in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

Willenborg, 46, will have been a Bundesliga referee for 10 years when he hangs up his whistle in May 2026.

"Consciously letting go of something you love is not an easy decision – but it is a very deliberate one," Aytekin, a three-time German Football Association (DFB) Referee of the Year, told the DFB's official website.

"I want to stop at a stage when I still have complete conviction, passion and clarity on the pitch. It's important to me to be perceived as a personality who is present and appreciated – not to leave only when doubts begin to arise.

"That's why my goal is to referee once again with full concentration and joy in the coming season and then look back on a long, positive and fulfilling career."

Aytekin has appearanced in the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, UEFA Champions League and other major tournaments. - IMAGO/Ralf Poller/Avanti/IMAGO/Avanti

Aytekin ranks in the Bundesliga's top 10 list of referees with the most appearances (241). Welz has overseen 141 top-flight fixtures, while Willenborg has taken charge of 121.

Dr. Felix Brych holds the outright record (359), the 50-year-old having overtaken Wolfgang Stark's 349 Bundesliga games early in the 2024/25 season.

The new Bundesliga campaign kicks off on 22 August when defending champions Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig. The final matchday of the season is scheduled to take place on 16 May 2026.

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