Wolfgang Stark (born 20 November 1969) is a German former football referee who is based in Ergolding. He refereed for DJK Altdorf of the Bavarian Football Association.

Wolfgang Stark
Stark in 2010
Born (1969-11-20) 20 November 1969 (age 55)
Landshut, West Germany
Other occupation Bank teller
Domestic
Years League Role
1994–2017 DFB Referee
1994–2017 2. Bundesliga Referee
1997–2017 Bundesliga Referee
International
Years League Role
1999–2014 FIFA listed Referee

Refereeing career

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In addition to German domestic competitions, Stark officiated numerous matches in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. He was also selected as referee for various international tournaments, including 2008 Olympics, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2012.

In 2007, he refereed five matches at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, including the semi-final between Chile and Argentina. The match finished as a 3–0 win for Argentina with Stark issuing seven yellow cards (out of nine) and two red cards against Chile.[1] Following the match, the Chilean players were restrained by members of the Toronto Police when they approached to meet fans outside the arena, as the police misunderstood the players' original intentions.[2] The misunderstanding led the police to aggressively restrain Chilean players who defended fiercely, causing the use of electricity and pepper gas by the police. Some players were detained for several hours before being released.[3] Stark left the stadium under escort, although he was not involved in the clash.

Stark retired from officiating in 2017 because he reached the age limit for German referees, which is 47. His final Bundesliga match officiated was between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Darmstadt 98.[4]

2010 FIFA World Cup

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Date Time (UTC+2) Team 1 Score Team 2 Round Attendance
12 June 2010 16:00   Argentina 1–0   Nigeria Group B 55,686
23 June 2010 16:00   Slovenia 0–1   England Group C 36,893
26 June 2010 16:00   Uruguay 2–1   South Korea Round of 16 30,597

Personal life

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Stark lives in Ergolding, is married, and has one child.

References

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  1. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Chilean player admits officer was punched | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. ^ Molinaro, John F. (19 July 2007). "Argentina advances to FIFA U-20 final". cbc.ca. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Schiedsrichter-Quartett steigt in die Bundesliga auf" [Referee quartet promoted to the Bundesliga]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
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