Wednesday CL referee, Thursday dentist: How does that work, Markus Merk?

Mr. Merk, how is your knee? According to the circumstances well. I recently tore my cartilage during a mountain run in Spain. The damage now needs to be repaired, after all I want to take part in the UTMB in France at the end of August.

The UTMB is considered one of the most demanding ultra marathons in the world. So it's true, you're an endurance and mountain junkie... Yes, you are right. In order to get a starting place for the UTMB, I took part in three ultra races in the last two years so that I could collect the necessary points. I definitely don't want to miss this highlight around Mont Blanc.

In South Tyrol you should be in the best hands to get fit for ultra and mountain races. That's correct. In fact, I have been here in South Tyrol very often. When I was still a referee, I sometimes came here for training purposes. For example, I have been to Kronplatz several times, and as a personal highlight I once even managed to climb it from three sides in one day. I definitely have to come here again in the summer.

Most people know Markus Merk as the referee. Some now also know that he has lost his heart to the mountains. What many people don't know is that Markus Merk was the doctor dentist for a long time... I started refereeing in the Bundesliga in 1988, and two years later I opened a dental practice, which I ran until 2004. My dental profession always came first. As surprising as it may sound, the refereeing was incidental.

Hand on heart: How difficult was it to manage the transition from the glamorous world of football to the simplicity of a dentist - and usually within just a few hours? It has often happened that I refereed the Champions League in Milan on Wednesday evenings, drove back the next day, was in the practice at 11 a.m. and treated patients there until eight in the evening. Mastering this transition, pulling this lever – I learned that during a single Bundesliga game.

As the? When I came back from my service project in India on Friday and officiated a, shall we say, relatively meaningless game on Saturday, I didn't go in with the right attitude. It was one of my worst games - that's when I realized: Either you concentrate on what you're doing or you have to give up on a reality. After that it was no longer a problem to flip the switch. Today this quality is said to be my great strength.

Today, almost eight years after the end of your career, you give lectures and comment on controversial referee decisions as an expert on the pay-TV channel Sky. So what do you think about the introduction of the video referee, who, like you, observes the game from outside and intervenes if decisions are made incorrectly? We live in the 21st century, in the age of the digitalized world. It can't be that a clearly wrong decision is recognized by millions of people in front of their screens but not corrected in the game. Experience has shown that there are five to six clear wrong decisions per match day that could be avoided with the help of a video referee. In some countries this system will be tested from the new season. It is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality.

Doesn't this mean the tradition of football is being lost? No, on the contrary: the emotions can be heightened. New areas of discussion are emerging. And the game's appeal can also improve. But I emphasize: The video referee should only be used in cases of crystal clear wrong decisions, not in gray cases. I'm excited to see what the concept will look like.

You've moved around a lot during your career and refereed a wide variety of games. Which ones do you particularly remember? There are three in total. Number one was my first game as a referee when I was just twelve years old. Number two, my first Bundesliga game at the age of 26. It was then that I realized that my lifelong dream had come true. And number three, the 2003 Champions League final between Milan and Juventus at Old Trafford. But not because it was the biggest highlight in club football...

Rather? When I told my father about my plans to become a referee as a teenager, he was disappointed. We didn't talk much to each other for a year. In 1977 we watched the national championship final together and I said: “If I referee this game once, I'll invite you.” When the time came in 2003, I got two tickets and plane tickets and surprised him with them. That was and is a very emotional moment (this underlines the fact that Merk's eyes become moist, editor's note).

About the person: MARKUS MERK Markus Merk, born in Kaiserslautern in 1962, refereed over 20 games between the Bundesliga, European Cup and national team in his 450-year refereeing career. He was voted World Referee of the Year three times. After closing his dental practice in 2004, he devoted himself to giving lectures with a focus on “deciding safely” and advising companies. Merk is also involved in various aid projects in India.

Thomas Debelyak, SportNews

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Wednesday CL referee, Thursday dentist: How does that work, Markus Merk?

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