The Bundesliga fixture between FC Köln and Mainz 05, scheduled to kick off at 9:30 am ET, has been called off and will have to be rescheduled for a later date, due to unfortunate events unrelated to football. Match referee Babak Rafati was reportedly discovered in his hotel room after a suicide attempt, according to a report from Sky television in Germany, now confirmed by news.de. Rafati survived, but the league did not feel that it was appropriate to continue with the fixture.
Obviously, what's important here is Rafati's health and our thoughts are with his family. Rafati's colleagues were reportedly stunned when they heard the news and found themselves unable to take over and referee the fixture. Fans and stadium staff were apparently not informed of the news in a timely fashion, and fans were being let into the stadium for the match as late as 8:45 am ET, 2:45 pm local time, 45 minutes before the scheduled kickoff.
