A tragic story happened during the Nations League match between Germany and the Netherlands (2: 2). According to information from the German press agency and the "Bild" newspaper, the Romanian referee of the match, Ovidiu Hategan, learned of his mother's death during the half-time break.
Hategan continued the game despite the news until the end. The Romanian Association confirmed the death of the mother, but made no reference to the privacy of the referee. The German Football Association helped the 38-year-old after the game to a faster journey home.
Pictures of the crying referee had caused astonishment after the game. Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk hugged Hategan and consoled him. He had tears in his eyes and justified this with the death of his mother, said van Dijk Dutch media.
"He was completely exhausted after the game, but you did not notice that during the game, he was very good at whistling," said Van Dijk. The center-back of the English club Liverpool FC Hategan had much strength wished. "It was just a small thing, but maybe it helped."