Leadership crisis of the DFB: cellar in court, opponents before departure


DFB leadership crisis
Keller in court, opponents before departure

After the Nazi settlement by President Fritz Keller, the German Football Association is facing the temporary end of its most recent leadership crisis – which could be concluded with almost everyone resigning. Those who want to stay are extremely unpopular with the professional clubs.

At least Fritz Keller was spared the humiliating demonstration as an “accused”. Although for the first time a president of the German Football Association has to answer before the sports court of the association, Keller does not need to explain the Nazi scandal he triggered in front of the public. The DFB has graciously set a “non-public” procedure for its still-boss. But even if Keller is spared prying eyes, his seemingly inevitable end, like other parts of the association’s management, is getting closer and closer.

At the latest since the opening of General Secretary Friedrich Curtius, the signs have been pointing to a new beginning without the burdensome top officials, including Vice President Rainer Koch and Treasurer Stephan Osnabrügge. The willingness to talk about his position signaled by Curtius seems to be the beginning of the tabula rasa at the hopelessly divided DFB top, which has long been demanded by many critics.

After all, Osnabrugge also wants to vacate his office soon. According to SID information, the 50-year-old will not stand for re-election at the next DFB Bundestag. This was announced by Osnabrugge at the conference of regional and state associations last weekend. A short time later, the “sovereigns” expressed their confidence in him with a narrow majority for the remainder of the term of office.

Sub-associations demand Keller’s resignation

Osnabrügge and Curtius (“I am available for discussions on constructive solutions for the DFB at any time, this of course also includes my role”) have obviously recognized the signs of the times. This does not (yet) seem to apply to Keller – although the follow-up discussion has long since begun. The observers, who had expected his resignation at the latest after the ethics committee’s referral of his case to the sports court, are apparently deceived.

“I of course take responsibility for my statement before the responsible sports court,” quoted the “Bild” as quoting the 64-year-old who compared Koch with the notorious Nazi judge Roland Freisler. With this, Keller has dramatically exacerbated the leadership crisis of the association around him and Curtius, who also has to face the sports court on charges of misconduct. As a result, the heads of the state and regional associations have demanded the resignation of the DFB boss by a large majority.

How the proceedings before the ethics chamber of the sports court will look in detail is initially open. The chairman Hans E. Lorenz told the SID that no decision had yet been made as to whether there would be a written procedure or an oral hearing.

Koch is not thinking of withdrawing

According to SID information, that also depends on how Keller will get involved. According to Lorenz, however, it is certain that the process will be “not public”. The judge expects a verdict “in the second half of May”. Should Keller subsequently refuse to resign, the subject of “impeachment” could end up on the DFB board. It is unclear how the majority there will look like. Because although the representatives of professional football can be counted among the Keller camp, it seems unlikely that they will continue to support the president in view of his verbal derailment.

The professionals will certainly not support Koch, who has always been a thorn in their side. The situation of Koch, who, according to SID information, is not thinking of withdrawing, is complicated. The professional representatives certainly do not want the Vice President to lead the DFB for the third time in a row after the President’s resignation on an interim basis.

The top of the German Football League (DFL) has now again documented its distrust of Koch. In a letter from DFL boss Christian Seifert to Koch, Seifert asks the DFB vice-president to comment. It is about information allegedly passed on by Koch regarding “possible plans of the DFL” and “professional perspectives” Seifert. According to SID information, the letter is authentic. Seifert has also informed the 36 professional clubs about his letter to Koch. Specifically, Seifert makes it clear in the letter that the DFL is not planning to structurally break up the DFB. Instead, he recommends all DFB officials “to refrain from recurring allegations”.

The DFB does not want to lose influence at FIFA

In favor of Koch, who is still supported by large parts of the amateur camp, speaks that he has just been elected to the Executive Committee of the European Football Union (UEFA). Should the head of the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) be expelled from the DFB boardroom, the association would be there even without its international representative.

The other Vice President Peter Peters is also faced with the same problem. Like Koch with the professionals, Peters is not particularly popular with the amateurs – both are symbolic of the long-lasting struggle between the two camps. But even the much-criticized Peters has strengthened his position through the recent election to the FIFA Council. The DFB does not want to lose the influence it has regained in the most important body of the world association.

According to Dagmar Freitag, however, the association should not take this into account, since it has “given a disastrous image for years” and has “suffered damage on a national and international level”. The chairwoman of the sports committee of the German Bundestag, like many others, therefore prefers an end with horror rather than horror without end: “In the past few years, too many misconducts have lined up, which in sum really offer enough reasons for a completely new beginning far away from the old ropes . “

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