The German Football Association (DFB) is mourning for his honorary member Siegfried Kirschen. The former referee and official died on Friday evening at the age of 80.
With SV Empor Augustusburg and Lokomotiv Karl-Marx-Stadt, Siegfried Kirschen started his football career in 1961. As referee, no one was more successful in East German football than Siegfried Kirschen. From 1972 to 1991, he refereed 250 matches of the GDR Oberliga and 43 European Cup matches, including the 1987 UEFA Cup Final between IFK Göteborg and Dundee United. Kirschen appeared as assistant referee at the Euro 1980 and 1984 and ended up refereeing 24 international A matches in his career. The highlight was his appearances at two World Cups. In Mexico’86, he refereed the group stage match between Northern Ireland and Brazil and the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. Four years later, he was appointed to the group stage game Belgium against Uruguay and the Round of 16 match Czechoslovakia against Costa Rica, at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Towards the end of his active time, in the 1990/1991 season, Kirschen refereed two games in the Bundesliga: the Nord-derby between FC St. Pauli and Hamburger SV and the Süd-derby between VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich.
After his retirement from the field, Kirschen became president of the newly founded football association of Brandenburg (FLB), beginning his second major career. He held this office for 28 years, until 2018. Kirschen was a decisive leader of structural reforms in the regional association. He was also a member of the DFB Executive Board and was a member of the DFB League Committee, the DFB Control Committee and the DFB Referee Department for several years. He also worked as a UEFA delegate for several years, was a member of the DFB referees committee, the DFB volunteering commission and DFB referee manager in the Bundesliga. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Egidius-Braun Foundation.
Kirschen has received several awards for his commitment and his services. From the DFB he received the Silver Pin of Honour in 1995 and the Golden Badge of Honour in 2011. Nominated by the Brandenburg Football Association, of which he was Honorary President, he was chosen an honorary member of the DFB in 2019. He was also an honorary member of the FLB and the Northeastern German Football Association. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf says: "Siegfried Kirschen has earned great contributions to football in Germany. As a referee, he distinguished by his sovereignty, his calm, which has transferred to the players. In the committees, he was a great asset for the DFB with his balancing nature and with his many good thoughts. We remember him as a strong personality and a warm-hearted, good guy. We will miss him very much."
