The bravest man of the Bundesliga week: Manuel Gräfe.
The former FIFA referee sued the German Football Association (DFB) in the summer of 2021 because he had to stop playing in the top German league because of his age (47 years).
His accusation: age discrimination.
This Wednesday, the Frankfurt Regional Court ruled in the case - and Gräfe was right.
He himself will no longer be allowed to referee in the Bundesliga, but others, such as Felix Brych, who would otherwise be too old, will be allowed to do so.
It's not the first time that Gräfe has done something good for his fellow referees.
It was he who started the betting scandal surrounding Robert Hoyzer with his research.
It was he who accused his superiors Herbert Fandel and Hellmut Krug of promoting favorites and demanding obedience.
The DFB then threatened him – and later sent him away because of the age limit, which the referee boss Michael Fröhlich suddenly interpreted as “orientation value” just a few months later.
So the judgment from Frankfurt is the perfect punch line for Manuel Graefe's experiences with the DFB: because it is only the latest proof that in this association you have to present your arguments as a critical spirit in court.