Resignation to the watch affair: Former DFB President Grindel imagines betrayal

Sometimes lack of loyalty and team spirit at the top, a lack of crisis management during the Corona-pandemic and provocative statements about the 50+1 rule: The former DFB President Reinhard Grindel has reported a good 15 months after his resignation, with clear statements to word.

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Grindel feels, with a view to be the German football Association reveal. "Unfortunately, there have been people who noticed this error, and to the press punched out have, instead of me approaching," said Grindel, the "Bild am Sonntag" about the adoption of a expensive watch, which had led in April 2019 to his resignation. "I devoted myself to a human already." The gift, worth approximately € 11,000 he had received from a Ukrainian official.

"I have committed a Compliance infraction, and it was right to draw the consequences," said Grindel. "With the ominous watch gift, I am completely transparent and guileless dealt with. There are many of them knew that in the DFB.“ He had never "made a secret of the gift," said the 58-Year-old. "You may call it naive, in any case, this Form of transparency was the complete opposite of corruption." In retrospect, the office of DFB President was, well, "if it is at the top of loyalty and team spirit". This did not, however, of each Individual. By his energy and presence he had modified impact structures. "Might not appeal to everyone," said Grindel.

In his personal balance sheet, the CDU-politician highlights the successful application for the EM 2024, the Adherence to Joachim Loew after the world Cup in 2018 and the construction of the DFB Academy. The affair of the photo of Mesut Özil with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, came a day before the squad announcement for the world Cup in 2018 at the wrong time. "Only a week earlier and we had time to talk with Özil in it, that there must be a clear, unequivocal distancing from the campaign photo," said Grindel, the corners had to a lot of criticism.