Referee Brych is the match leader in compatriot Kuntz ‘debut match against Norway
Felix Brych, one of Europe’s most deserving football referees, will be the match leader in Friday’s World Cup qualifier between Turkey and Norway.
The 46-year-old German lawyer will thus be responsible for compatriot Stefan Kuntz’s debut match as Turkey’s national team manager.
After five successful years as Germany’s U21 national team coach (for European Championship titles) and this summer, Kuntz’s less successful interlude as Olympic national team coach (eliminated in the group stage) was offered to be fired Senol Günes’ successor.
Felix Brych has refereed in the 1. Bundesliga since 2004 and internationally since 2007. He has refereed both the Champions League and Europa League finals, as well as the World Cup and European Championship finals. In the World Cup in 2018, he only got one match as a result of a poor evaluation.
Would send him to The Hague
Brych was heavily criticized for not giving Serbia a penalty kick in the 1-2 loss to Switzerland, and Serbia’s national team manager Mladen Krstajic stated that he should have been brought before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
In this summer’s European Championship finals, Brych refereed a record number of five matches, including the semi-final between Italy and Spain. He has been named judge of the year in Germany five times.
Brych has refereed Norway’s national team and time earlier, in the 1-2 loss against Italy in the European Championship qualifier in Rome in October 2015. He has refereed Turkey away against the Netherlands in 2015 and away against France in 2019. Both European Championship qualifiers ended 1- 1.
Solbakken danced
In addition, Brych was the referee when FC Copenhagen in 2010 beat Rosenborg 1-0 in a decisive battle for a place in the Champions League group stage and went on to the away goal rule. At that time, FCK coach Ståle Solbakken danced on the grass after the match.
Brych joins Mark Borsch and Stefan Lupp as assistant, Tobias Reichel as fourth judge and Marco Fritz as VAR judge.
(© NTB)