ADiscussion, apology, rebuke – but DFB Vice President Hermann Winkler does not have to fear any further consequences after his disrespectful statements about the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. “The conference disapproved of Winkler’s statements, which did not do justice to his office and contradict the values of the DFB,” said the German Football Association (DFB) after the meeting of the regional and state association presidents.
According to the DFB, Winkler “personally in the circle of association presidents” apologized for his post on social media about Selenskyj, with which the president of the Saxon Football Association had caused a storm of indignation. “My post is unspeakable and unjustifiable, it was a mistake and will not be repeated,” said Winkler ruefully.
Nevertheless, the DFB vice president has clearly maneuvered himself offside. The conference of regional and state association presidents “unanimously supports the criticism that DFB President Bernd Neuendorf expressed on Monday,” said the brief statement by the DFB on Wednesday.
Winkler had described Selenskyj on Instagram and Facebook as a “former Ukrainian actor”, because of his visit to Berlin the city was largely sealed off by a “general decree” and “the Spree was partially closed to tourists”. In addition, the President of the Saxon Football Association presented a picture of the Soviet War Memorial in the Treptow district.
“Insufferable and insulting”
DFB President Neuendorf had sharply condemned this. He found Winkler’s social media post “intolerable and offensive,” he said. The affair comes at an inopportune time for the DFB. Because Winkler’s unacceptable statement falls into the preparation for the symbolic 1000th international match of the national team on June 12 in Bremen against the Ukraine.
Even before the conference, Neuendorf Winkler made it clear during a phone call at the beginning of the week that he considered the post “incompatible with the principles of the DFB”. Even before the boss kicked off, Winkler had rowed back. He does not see himself in the “Putin-understanding corner”, he “apologies” for his disrespectful statement about Zelenskyj, he “would not write it again”.
Against a “left republic”
After the conversation with Neuendorf on Monday, Winkler tried to capture what was almost impossible to capture. The post, which has since been deleted, was “created in a very emotional situation at the memorial in Treptower Park,” wrote the CDU politician on Facebook. He condemned the “war and Putin’s aggression,” saying that “everything must be done to end this war as soon as possible.” But he then added: He “didn’t personally agree with everything that Zelenskyj does either”.
It’s not the first time Winkler has come under criticism. In the past he had already attracted attention several times because of his proximity to Russia. In addition, in 2016 the former member of the European Parliament was open to a “bourgeois” coalition at the state and federal level of his CDU with the AfD in order to prevent a “left-wing republic”.
