Kurt Röthlisberger
| Born |
May 21, 1951 Suhr, Switzerland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1983-1996 | Nationalliga A | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1985-1996 | FIFA-listed | Referee | |
Kurt Röthlisberger (born 21 May 1951 in Suhr) is a retired football referee from Switzerland. He is known for supervising five matches in the FIFA World Cup: two matches in 1990, and three in 1994.
In the 1994 World Cup, he became the subject of controversy in the round of 16 match between Germany and Belgium, where he did not award a penalty to Belgium after their forward Josip Weber was brought down inside of the penalty area. Germany won the match 3–2. Prior to the match, Röthlisberger was a top favourite for supervising the final, but was sent home after the discussed game between Germany and Belgium.
He also refereed the UEFA Champions League final in 1993 between Marseille and Milan. He was later banned from refereeing for life after allegations of match fixing the 1996 European Champions League. The UEFA found Röthlisberger guilty of bribery..