Kurt Röthlisberger

Kurt Röthlisberger was a Swiss football referee who officiated at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and in the final of the UEFA Under-21 European Football Championship. In 1990 Röthlisberger participated for the first time in the FIFA World Cup, where he officiated the Argentina-Yugoslavia quarter-final (as well as United States-Czechoslovakia and England-Egypt). He also directed the semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (Juventus FC-Barcelona in the 1990/91 season). In 1992 he was at the European Football Championships in Sweden where he refereed Scotland-CIS and performed the functions of 4th official in the Denmark-Germany final, directed by compatriot Bruno Galler. In 1993 Röthlisberger officiated the UEFA European Cup final between Olympique Marseille and AC Milan and the UEFA Super Cup final between Parma Calcio and AC Milan.

In 1994 he was chosen for the 1994 World Cup in the USA, where he refereed Mexico-Ireland and the round of 16 Germany-Belgium. At that event, in the round of 16, Germany-Belgium in Chicago, Röthlisberger did not grant the Belgians a clear penalty for a last man foul by Helmer (who, already booked, would have been sent off). He let it go amid protests from the Belgians, only to publicly admit the mistake two days later, with Belgium now eliminated.

In 1996 he was accused of corruption, and eventually banned by UEFA. Röthlisberger tried to convince the Belarusian referee Vadzim Žuk, his friend who was also suspended, to direct the result of the match of the UEFA Champions League 1996/97 between AJ Auxerre and Grasshoppers Club Zürich, in favor of the latter.