Michael Oliver will be in charge of the DFB team in the round of 16 of the European Championship. That’s not a good omen.
Mats Hummels was beside himself. “I have no idea how a referee at supposed Champions League level can come up with the idea of giving a red,” the Borussia Dortmund defender grumbled about this “absurd wrong decision”. The target of his anger: Michael Oliver, the English referee who will be in charge of Germany’s European Championship round of 16 match against Denmark on Saturday (21:00/ZDF and MagentaTV).
Oliver had sent Hummels off with a straight red in November 2021 in the Premier League match against Ajax Amsterdam after a tackle on attacker Antony. The BVB defender took a high risk at the time, but did not hit his opponent, who instead landed on Hummels’ calf. Despite consulting the VAR, Oliver stood by “one of the worst decisions of all time”, as the British tabloid Sun put it.
Hummels was not nominated for the European Championship, but Oliver’s appointment is not a good omen for the DFB squad. The 39-year-old, a FIFA referee since 2012, has refereed three international matches for the three-time European champions, none of which they won. The tests against Australia in 2015 (2:2) and Denmark in 2017 (1:1) resulted in a draw, as did the Nations League tie against Switzerland in 2020 (1:1).
Oliver’s third game at the current European Championship
Oliver began his career at the age of 14 and broke numerous age records. In 2010, for example, he was the youngest referee ever to referee a Premier League match at the age of 25 years and 182 days. Since then, he has officiated 372 times. He refereed matches at the 2021 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup, and at this European Championship he was on the pitch for Spain’s 3-0 win over Croatia and Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Slovakia.
Refereeing runs in his family: his father introduced him to the whistle and his wife Lucy is active in the top English women’s league. Nevertheless, he also turned another German against him in March: Jürgen Klopp raged because his Liverpool FC was denied a clear penalty in the top match against Manchester City.
“The eyes of the world are on us,” said Oliver before the European Championship, adding that the pressure is greater at major tournaments. “You’re aware of this pressure, but you still try to prepare as well as possible so that you’re ready. “