December 16 – The German FA (DFB) have backed Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke for re-election to the FIFA Council and UEFA executive committee respectively.
In a statement, buried on its website, the DFB announced that its executive committee had endorsed the pair for re-election: “The mandates of Bernd Neuendorf (pictured right) on the FIFA Council and Hans-Joachim Watzke on the UEFA Executive Committee end next year. Their nomination by the DFB Presidium is a prerequisite for possible re-election by the next Ordinary UEFA Congress on April 3, 2025 in Belgrade.”
“Mandates will be granted there for a four-year term of office. Neuendorf was elected as European representative to the FIFA Council by the UEFA Congress in Lisbon on April 5, 2023, and Watzke was elected as German representative to the UEFA Executive Committee. A national association can be represented in both bodies if the two mandates are held by different people.”
Both officials stepped in to take over from Rainer Koch and Peter Peters, but they are not without controversy.
Neuendorf and his organisation backed Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup, a U-turn from Germany’s more critical stance toward the last World Cup in Qatar.
A supporter of Saudi Arabia as well, Watzke (pictured left) is the bigger powerbroker of the two and faced backlash at his club Borussia Dortmund over a sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. He holds many roles – UEFA executive committee, DFB vice-president, and DFL supervisory board. Until last year, Watzke also served as an ECA board member.
The elections will take at the UEFA Congress on April 3 in Belgrade, Serbia.
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