DFB President Bernd Neuendorf has sharply condemned the disparaging statements made by his Vice President Hermann Winkler about the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky. Neuendorf announced on Monday that he considered Winkler’s actions to be incompatible with the principles of the German Football Association. The DFB boss found the statements about Selensky “intolerable and insulting” and made this very clear to Winkler in a telephone call, it said. The case should now be discussed on Wednesday at a conference of the regional and state association presidents of the DFB. After that it should be clear whether Winkler has to fear consequences. Several state association heads also criticized Winkler on Monday.
The day before, Winkler had disparagingly described Zelensky as a “former Ukrainian actor” in a post, without mentioning the name and office of the president. Because of his visit to Berlin, the city was largely sealed off by a “general decree” and “the Spree was partially closed to tourists,” Winkler posted. In addition, the President of the Saxon Football Association presented a picture of the Soviet War Memorial in the Treptow district.
Zelensky was in Germany on Sunday for the first time since Russia attacked Ukraine. He was then honored with the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen. “On the day on which he and the Ukrainian people were awarded the international Charlemagne Prize, the taunting symbolism towards the Ukrainian president is reinforced,” Neuendorf said of Winkler’s statements.
Winkler said on Monday via Facebook that he would not write the entry like this again: “I apologize for that and for the irritation that has arisen. I firmly reject putting myself in the Putin-understanding corner,” wrote the 60-year-old year olds. He condemned the aggression of the Russian President, but did not personally agree with everything Zelensky did. The affair is particularly explosive because the German national team will be playing their 1000th international match against Ukraine on June 12 in Bremen.
