Every Cologne game grouped by individual referee. Over this sample Cologne are 26-45 (36.6%); each ref win rate below is compared to that team average.
#RefWin ratevs baselineClose gamesOpponent whistle volume minus team volume per game. Positive means your team is whistled less (or the opponent more), a favorable minors/flags edge.
How Cologne compares in one-goal matches vs the full sample. Based on verified match results.
Close games (≤1 goal margin)
65 of 106 games match this window
Avg combined goals
Close-match avg
2.3
Season avg
2.9
Pressure impact
-0.6
Avg cards
Close-match avg
21.6
Season avg
21.8
Pressure impact
-0.2
Over rate
Close-match avg
36.9%
Season avg
49.1%
Pressure impact
-12.2 pp
Over benchmark: 2.9 combined goals · Seasons: 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 · 106 total games in sample
What am I looking at?
Individual refs: stats for one official across all Cologne games they worked, even with different partners.
Team baseline: Cologne went 26-45 (36.6%) across this sample. Ref win rates show how they compare to that team average.
Whistle differential: who gets called more. A positive number means opponents are whistled more often than Cologne.
Scores, fouls, cards, and referee assignments from ESPN (1282 games, 154 with sportsbook totals). Referee coverage only where ESPN lists gameInfo.officials (2021-22 onward); games without referee names are excluded entirely. football-data.co.uk I1 CSVs lack a Referee column and are not used. Matrix: 402/572 ref×team pairs with 3+ games. 248 games skipped (no official listed).
