Felix Zwayer and Marco Fritz to get FIFA badge

The referee comitee of DFB has announced that two referees will make their FIFA bow at the start of the next year. The comitee chaired by former UEFA Euro 2008 referee and UEFA referee comitee member Herbert Fandel declared that Marco Fritz (33) and Felix Zwayer will be promoted in 2012. They will replace Babak Rafati (41) and Peter Sippel (41) who both did not receive that many international appointments in the past or had a weak last season (Rafati).

According to Fandel, the main reason for these promotions/demotions is the fact that Germany will lose 7 FIFA referees in 2013/2014 as many referees were born in 1968 or 1969. The referee comitee has therefore decided to counteract this foreseeable development by choosing young referees who do not merely have all the attributes to act on the highest stages but also to bring along a long-dated prospect.

"Now, we have to set the courses so that our refereeing will be represented on the top stages in the future as well. Only if our most talented referees precociously assume responsibility, we will be able to ensure our presence and the extra-ordinary good reputation our referees may savour in the world.", (Fandel said at dfb.de)

Marco Fritz and Felix Zwayer had yet met themselves in their career paths: they were both promoted to the pool of Bundesliga referees in 2009. In the following, there are some small biographies to introduce Germany's new FIFA referees:

Marco Fritz 

DoB: 03 October 1977 (age when being promoted: 34)

Origin: Korb (71404, Baden-Württemberg, SW of GER)

Occupation: Bank Business Management Assistant

Height: 1,85 m; Weight: 74 kg

Leisure time activities: Sports, Music

DFB Referee since: 2006

2nd Bundesliga since: 2008

2nd Bundesliga matches: 25 (100 YC, 3 RC)

Bundesliga since: 2009

Bundesliga matches: 23 (75 YC, 6 RC)

FIFA Referee since: 2012
Regular DFB ARs: Volker Wezel, René Kunsleben

(data based on 23/09/2011)

Description: In general, Marco Fritz can be described as calm referee who is however very strict in situations when it is needed to be so. He does not refuse to show cards if necessary, he escaped bigger mistakes in the past. He was heavily pushed during the last years, after only two years as official DFB referee, he joined the 2nd Bundesliga pool of referees and mostly assisted Michael Kempter in Bundesliga as AR2. After only eight matches in 2nd Bundesliga (in 2008), he was directly taken on the Bundesliga list which was of course a surprise, but finally, it was nothing else than deserved. 

Marco Fritz is mostly assisted in Bundesliga by former Euro AR Volker Wezel and René Kunsleben.

Felix Zwayer

DoB: 19 May 1981 (age when being promoted: 30)

Origin: Berlin (14199, Berlin, E of GER)

Occupation: Real Estate Agent

Height: 1,83 m; Weight: 75 kg

Leisure time activities: Sports, Music, Skiing

DFB Referee since: 2004

2nd Bundesliga since: 2007

2nd Bundesliga matches: 33 (116 YC, 3 RC)

Bundesliga since: 2009

Bundesliga matches: 27 (83 YC, 1 RC)

FIFA Referee since: 2012
Regular DFB ARs: Christoph Bornhorst, Florian Steuer

(data based on 23/09/2011)

Description: Felix Zwayer had not been an unknown name in Germany, before he joined the DFB top level. He made a big contribution to the German match-fixing scandal's solving as he immediately reported some strange odds he observed in the contact with Robert Hoyzer who came from Berlin as well.

Zwayer is member of a Bundesliga club: Hertha BSC Berlin. After he had been the regular assistant referee of FIFA referee Manuel Gräfe in 2007 and 2008, he was promoted to become a new Bundesliga referee. His first seasons were very impressive, he always showed a very lenient style and proved himself to be a referee who does not like showing too many cards. Nevertheless, one has to state that this led to some unlucky decisions as he refused three times to issue obvious red cards for professional fouls.

In my opinion, these promotions were the direct opposite of surprises. Fritz and Zwayer are - by far - the biggest talents we have at the moment in Germany, at least among the (former-)non-FIFA-referees. I am quite sure that Christian Dingert and Markus Wingenbach will follow in the next years.

I know that there are a couple of other promotions (like in Colombia, Belgium or of course in Switzerland). As soon as you get to know other ones, you may post it underneath this thread in the future.