Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder – Frankfurter Rundschau

August 18, 2015

Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder: 2004 in Portugal … Photo: AP

On the death of Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder: Former DFB President and politicians died Monday at the age of 82 years. One of his favorite sayings: “I do not blow around.”

Whenever headwind came, and that happened regularly, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder Special Force has developed. As a politician in the Baden-Württemberg state government that was more than two decades as president of VfB Stuttgart for a full quarter of a century, and as president of the German Football Association, which he be in autocracy and two years together with successor Theo Zwanziger only three years allowed, certainly. If it was uncomfortable, is the man, whom they called “MV”, never falter. And even in those situations this happened only rarely, when the pronounced Genussmensch his affection for beloved white wine now and far driven to a little had.

“I do not blow around,” was one of his mottos. The stalwart conservatives, former paratroopers and reserve captain, war rhetoric was no stranger, “I am standing almost daily in the trenches, around me the poison arrows are geschwirrt.” Even though they have sometimes met him, they are always bounced to him. ” / p>

On Monday is one of the most colorful, but different also one of the controversial figures in German football at the age of 82 years of heart failure. Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder died in a Stuttgart hospital. For the DFB whose president Wolfgang Niersbach his condolences expressed on Tuesday morning: a “straightforward, resolute and competent person” who “always the needs of the players in mind,” “With Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder a formative figure in German football goes” had had .

Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder has never made a secret of the fact that he saw himself primarily as a representative of the professionals. The Amateur representatives from the national associations have perceived as ruling lord of the manor, until the summer of 2004 but quietly accepted grudgingly. After the early departure of the national team already in the preliminary round at the European Championships in Portugal, as “MV” had denied the terraces country heads above the access to the pool area of ​​the team hotel and after the resignation of Rudi Völler as lonely as initially unsuccessful from the team Forsaken Inn in the Algarve sought a successor, they rehearsed then the insurgency.

… in the dual leadership with Theo Zwanziger … Photo: AP

Mayer-Vorfelder underestimated the resistance of the base and the striving for power by Theo Zwanziger and escaped being voted out of his life dream, the World Cup in their own country, only by letting himself from 2004 to 2006 a dual leadership. Thereafter, he was appointed honorary president, at meetings of the Bureau in Frankfurt was still ever present and at his beloved cigarette breaks a popular contact partner of persevering before the DFB headquarters reporters. Also among the employees of the Association of lively native Mannheimer was quite popular. Imperious impulses, a trait both of its predecessor, the now 90-year Egidius Braun, as well as his successor twenties were, the tendency to tardiness Patriarch alien. His severe hearing loss made him the end of his presidency increasingly difficult to follow in larger rooms meetings.

Germany coach Joachim Loew announced on Tuesday at the death of his former superiors at VfB Stuttgart and the DFB to speak and announced, among other things, he was Mayer-Vorfelder “very grateful for many things.” Loew had as a young coach really is not easy, despite successes like Cup victory, reaching the European Cup final and fourth place in the Bundesliga again herumkrittelte in Stuttgart with the club head, the most participatory leadership style of “nice gentleman Löw” and the coach eventually replaced by Winfried Schäfer , A serious mistake.

Mayer-Vorfelder was accustomed to be perceived as an irritant character. In his tenure as DFB president at that time common case Miss rally “football mafia DFB” fell into German stadiums; Statements such as “If only two Germans are chosen on the Game Bayern against Cottbus, something must be wrong”, aroused considerable opposition in critical fandom on. Rhetoric professor Walter Jens formulated his time in the Frankfurter Rundschau: “Mayer-Vorfelder is a rabid and no self-criticism capable arch-conservative.”

… 2012 at the European Championships in Ukraine with a Fan Photo:. AFP

Mayer-Vorfelder challenged the to not. Basically was his maxim: “I do not believe that ducking and pussyfooting convey politics and democracy. Rather, it is to stay upright, to stand by its view, to show courage and flag. “He was” a piece of proud that I have in all the years can not be bent. ” He was “always remained who I was – with all the good and less good sides”.

DFB icon Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder died

Theo Zwanziger, whose co-regency in the DFB Mayer-Vorfelder had two years to accept willy-nilly, but eventually developed a at least respectful coexistence with the adversary, praised yesterday in the ” Rheinische Post “the life’s work of the deceased:” His greatest accomplishment was certainly the total change of the promotion of young talent since 2002 in Germany. The development of centers of excellence is his merit – and thus it is for me the real father of the World Cup success in 2014. Without these measures we have players like Mesut Özil, Mario Götze and Mats Hummels did not find “Mayer-Vorfelders successful reform efforts for. youth football are also noteworthy because he thought once ruled as Baden-Württemberg Minister of Education students of the baccalaureate when they wore sneakers.

In his last years has “MV” from the public more and more withdrawn and shown on rare occasions, such as the recent presentation of the WM-film “The team” in last November and the 90th birthday of Egidius Braun in February, almost exclusively on the side of his wife Margit. At the 2012 European Championship he was seen before a match of the German team to rest at 30 degrees in the suit alone on a bench in Ukrainian Lviv Sitting, meanwhile, the wife was shopping, he rejoiced when fans recognized him and asked for common photo. In Württemberg Football Association (WFV) he had to be constantly smoke geschwängertes office until the end. They mourn a “militant and bustling multi-functionary and very sympathetic friend”.

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