{{short description|German football referee}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox football official | name = Knut Kircher | image = Kircher, Knut Schiri 15-16 WP.jpg | caption = Kircher in 2016 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|2|2|df=y}} | birth_place = Hirschau, West Germany<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuebingen.de/1564_25349.html |title=Objekt des Monats Juni 2008 |trans-title=Object of the month June 2008 |language=de |publisher=tuebingen.de |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607152815/http://www.tuebingen.de/1564_25349.html |archive-date=7 June 2011 }}</ref> | death_date = <!-- Use {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} if dead (death date followed by birth date) --> | death_place = | otheroccupation = Mechanical engineer | years1 = 1997–2016 | league1 = DFB | role1 = Referee | years2 = 1998–2016 | league2 = 2. Bundesliga | role2 = Referee | years3 = 2002–2016 | league3 = Bundesliga | role3 = Referee | internationalyears1 = 2004–2012 | confederation1 = FIFA listed | internationalrole1 = Referee }} '''Knut Kircher''' (born 2 February 1969) is a former German football referee who is based in Rottenburg am Neckar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=11310 |title=Knut Kircher |language=de |publisher=dfb.de |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608032614/https://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=11310 |archive-date=8 June 2011 }}</ref> He refereed for TSV Hirschau of the Württemberg Football Association.
==Refereeing career== In 1998, he became a referee in the 2. Bundesliga. Kircher was then promoted to referee in the German Bundesliga for the 2001–02 season. In 2004, he became a FIFA referee. He officiated his first match on 8 September 2004; the World Cup qualifying match between Andorra and Romania (1–5).
Kircher retired from officiating in 2016 because he reached the age limit for German referees, which is 47. His final Bundesliga match officiated was between Bayern Munich and Hannover 96.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sport1.de/fussball/bundesliga/2016/05/drei-schiris-hoeren-auf-abpfiff-fuer-kircher-meyer-und-weiner |title=Drei Bundesliga-Schiris gehen in Rente |trans-title=Three Bundesliga referees retire |date=12 May 2016 |website=sport1.de |publisher=Sport1 |access-date=14 May 2016 |language=de }}</ref>
==Personal life== Kircher studied at and graduated from the University Albstadt-Sigmaringen engineering department. He lives in Rottenburg, and is married with three children. His main job is working at Daimler AG,<ref>{{cite web|language=de |website=Daimler AG |title=Das Daimler Blog: Knut Kircher |url=http://blog.daimler.de/author/knutkircher |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306115848/http://blog.daimler.de/author/knutkircher/ |archive-date=6 March 2016 }}</ref> where he lectures.<ref>{{cite web | language = de | website = 5 Sterne Team | title = Knut Kircher | url = http://www.5-sterne-redner.de/referenten/knut-kircher | access-date = 12 May 2016}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{WorldFootball.net|new_id=pe41879}} * [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/260/391052/text/ Interview with Knut Kicher] at sueddeutsche.de {{in lang|de}}
{{DFB-Pokal final referees}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kircher, Knut}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:German football referees Category:People from Tübingen (district) Category:Sportspeople from the Upper Palatinate Category:20th-century German sportsmen Category:21st-century German people
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