Saturday 15th May 2021
Clear self-assessment
Seifert will “never” be president of the DFB
In the summer of 2022, Christian Seifert will stop as managing director of the German Football League. He does not yet know how things will continue for him professionally afterwards. Only one thing is already certain for him: he will definitely not be Fritz Keller’s successor at the DFB.
The outgoing league manager Christian Seifert has ruled out a move to the German Football Association as the successor to President Fritz Keller. “Never,” said the head of the German Football League to the editorial network Germany (RND) in response to a question. “And not because I have something against the DFB. (…) But I wouldn’t be in a good position,” said Seifert, who has announced his departure for summer 2022 at the DFL.
The German Football Association is looking for a new president after Keller declared his willingness to resign after his Nazi settlement. The contract of DFB General Secretary Friedrich Curtius is to be terminated, Vice President Rainer Koch no longer wants to run for re-election. Seifert demanded that the association must take advantage of the opportunity presented by the change in personnel. “The course has now been set for a fresh start at the DFB.”
The search for his own successor at the DFL is still ongoing, said Seifert. “As soon as this or that person is found, the question will arise: When will this person be available? And then there will be an orderly transition,” announced the 52-year-old, who also has no concrete plans for his own future. “I’m having inspiring conversations right now and I’m honestly enjoying it,” he said. There is “still no fixed connection position”.
“Double standards” among critics of the Qatar World Cup
In an interview with the RND, Seifert also commented on the criticism of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “One should have improvements for the local people in mind and not end in a comfortable double standard,” said the DFL boss. “If Germany, as a major export nation, only cooperated with countries that have exactly our values and legal system, that would be difficult for the business location and with a view to jobs in this country – and those affected in the respective countries would not be of any help.”
He emphasized that human rights are a fundamental issue – and that it is important that the national players, for example, have clearly positioned themselves on this. “At the same time, human rights organizations report on verifiable progress in this area and therefore reject a boycott.”
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