The 41-year-old was discovered in the bathtub of his hotel room in Cologne just hours before he was due to officiate a Bundesliga (major league soccer) match between Cologne and Mainz. He was discovered by his assistant referees, having slit his own wrists. They came to his hotel room when he failed to show up to begin preparations for the match.
After his release for his injuries, Rafati was treated for depression in a hospital near Hanover. While he will not return to refereeing in the Bundesliga, he said he has made a full recovery.
“I am healthy again,” he told the German daily Bild, 151 days after his suicide attempt. “I was in a seemingly hopeless situation. It was a stroke of luck that I got help in time. I am glad that I survived.”
Rafati’s suicide bid shocked Germany, coming two years after national goalkeeper Robert Enke took his life in November 2009 by throwing himself under a commuter train.
Rafati, who was born in Iran, says he is planning a three-week vacation in Asia with his girlfriend and is still receiving regular supervision from a depression specialist.
He says he is considering whether to return to his job in a bank and is planning to marry his girlfriend later this year.