COLOGNE, Germany — A soccer referee who attempted to commit suicide Saturday morning just hours before he was scheduled to officiate a top flight German league game is stable in a Cologne hospital and out of danger.

Bundesliga referee Babak Rafati, 41, was discovered in the bathtub of his hotel room in Cologne by his assistant referees early Saturday afternoon having tried to commit suicide by cutting his veins.

Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Federation (DFB), confirmed Rafati’s condition during a Cologne press conference and praised the three assistant referees whose actions saved their colleague’s life.

“It is an extraordinary situation, when one of our top referees makes a suicide attempt,” said Zwanziger. “After Babak was not at breakfast, and then didn’t come to a meeting to discuss the game, his assistants had his room opened and they found him in the bathtub.

“There was a lot of blood. That is all I can say, the other details should be spared. I have to say, the three assistant referees saved Babak’s life.”

The German league match Rafati should have officiated between Cologne and Mainz was called off 40 minutes before kick-off and will be replayed.

Rafati, who is of Iranian origin, has been a Bundesliga referee for six years, ironically his first match having also been between Cologne and Mainz, and he has officiated 84 top-flight German league games.

He had been often criticized by Bundesliga players and German magazine Kicker had voted him the worst referee in the league on a few occasions.

Rafati was being treated in an intensive care unit Saturday night.

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