Daniel Schlager will referee the Super Cup match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern. The Munich team knows the referee very well—and has clashed with him on several occasions.
FC Bayern kicks off the new competitive season this coming Saturday with a blockbuster match. In the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup, the German double champions will face Borussia Dortmund on the road. Kickoff at Signal Iduna Park is at 8:30 p.m.
It has now also been confirmed who will be in charge of officiating the match. The DFB has appointed Daniel Schlager to referee the clash between BVB and Bayern. The 36-year-old will be assisted by Sven Waschitzki-Günther and Tobias Fritsch. Timo Gerach will serve as the fourth official, while Johann Pfeifer and Markus Sinn will handle video assistance.
For Schlager, this will be his first appearance in a German Super Cup. The FIFA referee, however, has plenty of Bundesliga experience and has already officiated 104 matches in Germany’s top flight since his debut in 2018.
Schlager has also crossed paths with Bayern on several occasions. He has officiated seven of Munich’s Bundesliga matches so far. From the FCB’s perspective, the record is impressive: five wins, two draws, and one loss. Nevertheless, their history together has by no means always been harmonious.
Tuchel and Bayern were upset after the Leverkusen game
There was particular frustration in September 2023 during the 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. In stoppage time, after consulting with the VAR, Schlager awarded a penalty kick to the Werkself. Jonas Hofmann had gone down after contact with Alphonso Davies. Exequiel Palacios converted the penalty kick for a late equalizer.
Bayern’s coach at the time, Thomas Tuchel, strongly disagreed with the decision: “That’s way too lenient in my opinion. Don’t forget: The referee didn’t call it.”
From Tuchel’s perspective, the video assistant shouldn’t have intervened in that situation. Even during the game, the Bayern coach had seen Schlager issue a yellow card.
Tuchel’s assistant at the time, Zsolt Löw, reacted even more emotionally. After the final whistle, he argued with the officiating crew over the calls and was shown a red card as a result. Thomas Müller also voiced criticism and made it clear that, in his opinion, such contact would not have warranted a penalty kick in England.
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It wasn’t the first time Schlager had found himself in the spotlight during a Bayern match. Back in August 2022, there had already been controversy during the 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Then-Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann received a yellow card in the closing minutes after complaining to the fourth official.
Nagelsmann later admitted that the caution was justified, but at the same time sharply criticized Schlager’s performance: “I think he knows himself that this wasn’t his best performance today.”
Most recently, however, things have gone much more smoothly for Bayern with Schlager in charge. In the 2024–25 season, he officiated the 3–0 win over FC Augsburg, among other matches, as well as the 4–0 away victory at TSG Hoffenheim on the final matchday.
This Saturday, he’ll take the field for what is likely the most high-profile Bayern match of his refereeing career to date. For FC Bayern, the match against Dortmund is a direct battle for the first title of the new season—and with Schlager as the referee, the Munich team will face an official with whom they’ve certainly had their share of problems in the past.