DAt the meeting of the state and regional association presidents on Wednesday, the German Football Association dealt with the now deleted Instagram post by its Vice President Hermann Winkler on the visit of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in Berlin last weekend. This was announced by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf after a phone call with Winkler on Monday. Neuendorf considers Winkler’s approach to be “incompatible” with the principles of the DFB, according to a statement from the association published on Monday afternoon.
Winkler’s statement about Selenskyj (“former Ukrainian actor”), which he had posted on a picture of himself in front of the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park on Sunday, was “intolerable and insulting”, quoted the DFB Neuendorf: “On the day he and the Ukrainian people were awarded the International Charlemagne Prize, the taunting symbolism towards the Ukrainian President is reinforced.”
“I apologize for that”
Winkler was Minister of State and head of the Saxon State Chancellery from 2004 to 2007. From 1990 to 2009 he was a member of the state parliament of the Free State, from 2009 to 2019 for the CDU in the European Parliament.
He wrote – faithfully reproduced – on Monday after the conversation with Neuendorf on Facebook that Sunday’s post “was created for me in a very emotional situation at the memorial in Treptower Park. I wouldn’t write it like this again. I apologize for this and also for the irritation caused. I firmly reject the idea of putting myself in the ‘Putin understanding corner’. I, too, condemn this war and Putin’s aggression, which is killing innocent people every day. Everything must be done to end this war as quickly as possible. However, I personally don’t agree with everything that Zelensky does. I also had a conversation with the DFB President about this today.”
Winkler, DFB vice-president responsible for the association’s youth work, visited the FSV Berolina Stralau club on Sunday, which organized the “Stralau Cup”, a youth tournament, at the weekend. The club officials thanked Winkler for his “participation in the award ceremony. However, we want to use this attention explicitly to position ourselves on your undisputed statements about the Ukrainian head of state”, which were only noticed on Monday.
The association is committed “with our many volunteers for the sporting and social integration of young people from Berlin and the world”. Berolina is “also the home of many Ukrainian children and families who had to flee to us in Germany in the course of the Russian war of aggression. We find it a mockery of these people and our commitment when you, as a high-ranking representative of one of the largest sports federations in the world, stand up in public and express yourself in this way.”
The association expressly distances itself from the statements and regrets “that we have appeared in your Instagram account in connection with these statements from you”. Winkler’s Instagram account has now been deactivated. Bernd Schultz, President of the Berlin Football Association, told the German Press Agency that his association represented “different values” than Winkler: “That is not the attitude of the Berlin Football Association.”
The German national soccer team will play their 1000th international match against Ukraine in Bremen on June 12th. “We invited the Ukrainian national team to our 1000th international match to set another symbol against the Russian war of aggression and for peace,” said the conference chairman and head of the Southern German Association, Ronny Zimmermann, the German Press Agency. Winkler mocked “the Ukrainian President, according to my understanding.” The representatives of the 21 state and five regional associations of the DFB meet for the meeting on Wednesday.
