What began as a powerful public declaration of love has taken a troubling turn. German football referee Pascal Kaiser, who went viral for proposing to his boyfriend Moritz in front of tens of thousands of fans, wasreportedly assaultedat his home following a wave of homophobic backlash, cyberbullying and threats.

The incident occurred days after the widely shared proposal at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion. Here is what happened and what we know about Kaiser.

A week after Kaiser and Moritz captured attention with their heartwarming stadium proposal, the referee was allegedly attacked at his home in Cologne. The proposal had taken place during a match at RheinEnergieStadion in front of 50,000 spectators.

German soccer referee Pascal Kaiser was assaulted by three men at his home, a week after his public marriage proposal.The day before the assault, he received threats, and his address was leaked. He contacted the police, who told him there was no immediate danger.pic.twitter.com/LXuyhNjV46

According to the French publication L'Equipe, Kaiser was assaulted late Saturday night into Sunday morning by three men.

Reports state that in the days leading up to the attack, Kaiser had received significant backlash and cyberbullying. The publication said he had informed police about threatening messages, including ones containing his home address. Authorities reportedly stated there was no immediate threat.

Twenty minutes after he got off the phone with the authorities, Keiser went out to smoke a cigarette, but he was reportedly greeted by three men in his garden and was assaulted. The German soccer referee has sustained an injury to his right eye from the assault.

What was supposed to be a romantic, wholesome, and heartwarming scene has become a trigger for a hate crime and homophobia, making Kaiser a target. Kaiser has since been moved to a secure, undisclosed location under police protection while the investigation into the hate crime continues.

After suffering from an assault that he believed was because of his public wedding proposal, here are things to know about Kaiser.

Kaiser is a 27-year-old German football referee and lifelong supporter of 1. FC Köln. He serves as a referee and assistant in the fifth tier of German football, specifically the Oberliga Niederrhein.

Source: International Business Times UK