In the midst of the delicate search for a national coach and shortly after the controversial appointment of Andreas Rettig was announced, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Oliver Mintzlaff resigned from the German Football Association’s task force. The supervisory board member of FC Bayern Munich and the chairman of the supervisory board of RB Leipzig announced this in writing on Sunday via a spokeswoman.
Rummenigge criticized the task force for not being involved in important DFB decisions and in some cases not even being informed. “We found out through the media about the installation of Andreas Rettig as Sports Director of the DFB, a very sensitive personality and a decision worth discussing.” The “high-profile expert council” was never equipped with the appropriate decision-making powers to work effectively, effectively and purposefully the 67-year-old Rummenigge explained further. On this basis, trusting cooperation is not possible.
Task force largely ineffective
The DFB surprisingly announced on Friday that long-time Bundesliga manager Rettig would take over the position of sports director. The 60-year-old, former managing director of the German Football League (DFL), was considered a critic of the association and major clubs for years and had many arguments with former Bayern grandee Uli Hoeneß.
The DFB task force was founded in December after the national soccer team was eliminated again in the preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar and with a view to urgently needed changes before the home European Championship in 2024 – but it remained largely ineffective. The committee is not involved in the search for the successor to national coach Hansi Flick. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, multi-functionary Hans-Joachim Watzke from Borussia Dortmund and DFB sports director Rudi Völler are currently dealing with this.
In addition to Rummenigge and Mintzlaff, the expert council led by Watzke and Neuendorf also included other football greats such as former Bayern boss Oliver Kahn, Völler and Matthias Sammer. The former national player Sammer had already clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the work in the committee.
“The proof of work after nine months is the installation of Rudi Völler and Hannes Wolf. In my opinion, that’s a bit little,” said the former DFB sports director in a recent interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”: “What has been decided so far is too little. There is a lack of content and structure, and above all, there is a lack of a leader.”
Christopher Meltzer, Munich Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 Daniel Theweleit Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 12 A comment from Christian Kamp Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 8
As a result of the preliminary round exit at the World Cup in Qatar and the separation from director Oliver Bierhoff, former team boss Völler was temporarily appointed sports director of the senior men’s national team and U-20 coach Wolf was promoted to sports director for young talent, training and development . The 63-year-old Völler even stepped in as an emergency helper in the national team’s coaching bench.
Mintzlaff did not comment specifically on the Rettig case. However, he will leave the task force “as I am critical of further cooperation. I am firmly convinced that Rudi Völler will soon find the right coach for the German national team.” Former Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was released from the record champions in March and still has a contract there until the summer of 2026, is considered a hot candidate.
