These are “conspiracy theories”: Now the DFB bosses attack each other


These are “conspiracy theories”
Now the DFB bosses attack each other

The DFB dual leadership is in a clinch. Peter Peters accuses his colleague Rainer Koch of “conspiracy theories”. The women’s power movement is also renewing its criticism of Koch, the top representative of the amateur camp. Even the ethics committee got involved.

Top functionary Peter Peters has distanced himself from Rainer Koch, with whom he leads the German Football Association on an interim basis. “I am surprised and disappointed by the first big interview that Rainer Koch gave as interim president without warning in one of the deepest crises since the DFB was founded. The content and the opinions expressed there have not been coordinated with me. That amazes me,” said the 58-year-old in an “Bild” interview with a view of the Koch statements in the “Spiegel”.

“As a dual leadership, you don’t deal with each other like that. In terms of content, I have my problems in many areas,” continued Peters. “What bothers me, above all, is that he is already talking about a ‘tough argument on the matter’. I’m not going with that: we have to solve the many tasks together instead of having a tough fight.”

In the leadership crisis that has been going on for months at the German Football Association, there is the next dispute. Peters, who is a representative of the German Football League (DFL) on the presidential committee of the DFB, has been interim president since the resignation of association chief Fritz Keller, like Koch. The new leadership is to be elected at the DFB Bundestag planned for 2022.

Professional football defends itself against accusations of cooking

Koch had complained about personal attacks in a “Spiegel” interview. The 62-year-old spoke about an alleged character assassination campaign against himself and DFB treasurer Stephan Osnabrügge and criticized: “What is striking for me is that, with Stephan Osnabrügge and myself, only the two top representatives from the amateur camp are being attacked so violently. The leading representatives of professional football, who bear the same responsibility, but always remain anonymous. “

As Vice in the DFB Presidium, Koch is the representative of the amateur clubs. Peters described it as unfair and untrue that a “conspiracy theory” was spread over and over again, that the DFL was planning a takeover of the DFB. “A new beginning at the DFB is only possible in cooperation. In the deepest crisis of the DFB it must not be about own benefices and profiling,” he said.

DFB interim boss Koch is facing numerous attacks these days. An initiative launched by nine prominent women from football recently made eight demands in terms of gender equality under the motto “Football can do more”. In doing so, they encountered resistance from the association’s management levels. Now they have called the ethics committee about an incident with a DFB official. In its reform efforts, the initiative “also encountered the destructive power structure in the DFB and it was specifically directed against one of our colleagues,” said Katja Kraus. “We reported the incident as a welfare group to the ethics committee.”

Steinhaus-Webb just wants to speak to the ethics committee

Kraus, who was acting as a presidential candidate, did not want to give any more details. According to “Sport Bild” it is about an incident between Koch and Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb. According to this, Koch is said to have asked the former world-class referee to deny the media that he had put her under pressure with regard to the women’s initiative.

Kraus said that the person concerned would “exclusively” say something about this matter in front of the ethics committee: “So exactly where it belongs.” The DFB initially left a sid inquiry on the matter unanswered. According to “Sport Bild”, Koch and Steinhaus will be heard by the ethics committee in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Kraus again emphasized her willingness to work with the DFB. “We did not start with the initiative to be an opposition to the DFB. Our change is more far-reaching and affects football as a whole,” explained the 50-year-old former national goalkeeper: “That is why we want to work with the DFB, the DFL and also talk to the clubs about specific measures. “

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