Augsburg stay bottom after Bundesliga referee drama

21 Nov, 2011

Augsburg remained rooted to the bottom of the German league on Sunday after their 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart as the Bundesliga comes to terms with the attempted suicide of a top-level referee.
Austria striker Martin Harnik scored both Stuttgart's goals in the win which leaves them sixth in the league table, while Augsburg, in Germany's top flight for the first time, are two points adrift at the foot.
Defending champions Borussia Dortmund pulled off an upset on Saturday night when teenage star Mario Goetze scored the winner to secure a 1-0 victory at Bayern Munich. The win is a confidence boost to Dortmund, who must win at Arsenal on Wednesday to keep their Champions League hopes alive, while Bayern can book their place in the knock-out phase if they beat Villarreal at home on Tuesday.
But the weekend's Bundesliga programme was over-shadowed by the attempted suicide of referee Babak Rafati, 41, who was discovered in the bathtub of his hotel room in Cologne by his assistant referees having cut open his veins.
Rafati is being treated in a Cologne hospital, but his attempts to kill himself come two years after the suicide of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke and the latest news has stunned football-mad Germany.
His father, Djalal Rafati, says there was no hint at his son's turmoil and that he had a steady job as a banker, living in Hanover, and was in a stable relationship.

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