The need is immense at the head of the German Football Association (DFB) around interim president Rainer Koch. She has to fend off the accusation that she used bad tricks to replace her uncomfortable ethics boss Bernd Knobloch with the controversial Irina Kummert and to have dismantled her own ethics committee. Even in the amateur camp, which was Koch’s base for a long time, the resentment is so immense that embarrassing questions can be expected at the meeting on this Wednesday. But now, just before the meeting, there is a new, amazing volte in the cause.
On Tuesday, the three assigned ethicists presented a joint protest letter – and simsalabim: Minutes later, the DFB held a message from Hans Lorenz against it. In it, the head of the DFB sports court announces amazing things: He is pending proceedings against Knobloch. This is significant in the perseverance of Koch and treasurer Stephan Osnabrügge, because in the presidium meeting last week, immediately before Knobloch’s dismantling as ethics boss, a case against the Munich lawyer was discussed. Only there was no evidence of this, Knobloch vehemently rejected it. Now the miraculous confirmation of a procedure that helps the DFB grandees on their feet. What’s it all about?
The DFB and Lorenz do not comment on this, despite the extraordinary importance. Knobloch says he is not aware of any other proceedings other than one that ended on May 3 – in fact, the application at the time was “rejected”. Done. Another ex-ethics member confirms that there are no known cases against Knobloch. And the ethicists should know – because only they can bring charges before the sports court. Or did the mysterious report only come after the body had disintegrated?
Things are getting bizarre. Knobloch has been acting provisionally as head of ethics since autumn 2020. The members decided, next to him and Kummert the theologian Nikolaus Schneider and the corruption expert Birgit Galley. At the beginning of June they landed two reports against Koch. It is about possible misconduct by the interim boss around the reform initiative “Football can do more” – and about detailed attacks by ex-President Reinhard Grindel against Koch. Immediately afterwards, the topic of “Ethics Chairmanship” was on the agenda. In the DFB Presidium, Kummert was then chosen – and an alleged case against Knobloch was also discussed. The lawyer was defeated by the personnel consultant 5: 7.
In particular, dealing with the theologian Schneider was outrageous
But there are contradictions to the alleged procedure. Osnabrügge explained his objection to his colleagues as follows: He had long ago passed on a complaint from an employee to the ethicists that was to be evaluated as a complaint, which also concerned Knobloch. It could not be clarified whether this procedure had been settled, since “nobody was informed” about it. This process was dealt with and settled as part of a bias application on May 3rd. The managing director of the commission sent the decision, according to which the sports court had rejected the application for bias, to Osnabrugge on May 12th. In the meantime, Osnabrugge should also allow that internally.
The argumentation now obviously boils down to the following: One thing, the bias cause, has nothing to do with the current one – it is about an isolated case in the employee’s cause. This explanation, which is screwed up even for knowledgeable observers, does not fit the fact that the three relinquished members are not aware of any Knobloch proceedings. And why was such an important issue not clarified before the election: Because it is brand new? That would be a coherent but highly explosive explanation.
In the struggle over procedural subtleties, the fact that there was an even greater enormity in the circle of amateur representatives on the day before the election, which had an impact on the election: There, Schneider’s state of health, who, like Kummert and Knobloch, ran for the Chief Office had agreed to thematized. Schneider was on the agenda as a “suggestion” – but was no longer an issue at all in the freestyle. The fact that his privacy was dragged into the strategy game of the DFB top has now even forced the long-time President of the Evangelical Churches to make a public clarification: None of the top trio – Koch, Osnabrügge and Peter Peters – have ever “asked about his state of health”.
A former DFB president speaks up about this. Theo Zwanziger told the SZ: “When I heard about the vote of the DFB presidium and the disempowerment of the ethics committee, I was shocked. It is about high-profile personalities in our society, especially Dr. Schneider was and is, as the former EKD council president, an outstanding personality of our country. If people like that put themselves at the disposal of football, that is not how they are treated. ” The Schneider case also overshadows the bizarre Knobloch debate. Former President Zwanziger is now aiming at the center of society with his assessment: “I seriously ask myself how long all this will continue after the undignified events of the last few months!”
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