The traditional New Year’s reception of the German Football League (DFL) is the gathering of football celebrities in Germany. On Tuesday (January 16th, 2024) everyone of rank and name will come together for the first time in Frankfurt’s Palmengarten.
Of course, a networker like Andreas Rettig is also present, who can now build bridges between the German Football Association (DFB), the DFL and the clubs like no other. Not only does he have experience from working in clubs as diverse as Bayer Leverkusen, FC Augsburg, SC Freiburg and FC St. Pauli, but he also knows both the DFL and the DFB from the perspective of a managing director.
The sporting area at the DFB has been complete since the beginning of the year
The decision by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf to install Rettig as head of the sporting department was considered a big surprise last year. The league in particular seemed very irritated at times because the chief critic of the commercial excesses of professional football was suddenly entrusted with responsibility. But since then the 60-year-old has been much more tame.
Maybe because he had enough to do with reorganizing his work area. It was only with the introduction of Nia Künzer as women’s sports director last Thursday “Transformation process” (Neuendorf) completed. It’s interesting that Rettig can imagine keeping Rudi Völler as the men’s counterpart over the summer.
Rudi Völler should stay beyond the summer
“I actually think Rudi is a stroke of luck. I worked next door to him at Bayer Leverkusen for years and I trust him. We agreed to sit down together and talk about his plans.”, Rettig revealed in the trade magazine “Kicker”. The 63-year-old had actually always emphasized that his second rescue mission in the service of the DFB had ended with the home European Championships. But the new managing director obviously doesn’t want to give Völler away so quickly. The public initiative certainly comes with calculation.
Because the praise will “Aunt Kathe”, who is known to like to be persuaded to suddenly act as an emergency helper. The earlier skirmishes with Rettig, whom he even once called “Smart piggy” dismissed, have long been forgotten. The two can often be seen in close conversation at German national team meetings on the DFB campus.
Julian Nagelsmann may lose again in March
In this respect, Rettig may now have made a coordinated statement about the national coach’s personality. Julian Nagelsmann also suffered further defeats in the international matches against vice world champions France in Lyon (March 23) and the Netherlands in Frankfurt (March 26). “nothing to fear”.
Reason: “I attended the first international matches under Julian on the trip to the USA and, after consulting with him, was also present at the team meetings. Firstly, Julian didn’t overload me, and secondly, he has an incredibly positive and enthusiastic nature.”
Nagelsmann also allows Völler to be close and is ready to reflect without losing his own path. “That gives us all a good feeling regardless of the outcome of the game.” Rettig also defended the decision to play against two such strong opponents. “If you win against Gibraltar or Malta, it doesn’t do anything. But beating one of the top two opponents 100 days before the European Championship can trigger something.”
There should be no documentary from the home European Championship
It’s interesting that the DFB creator, who likes to promote transparency and openness, doesn’t produce another documentary like the film “All or nothing” to the botched 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the association cannot decide which images will be broadcast later.
“If we can’t decide what is shown and what isn’t, we won’t do it.” That’s why, in consultation with Völler and the team, he rejected another documentary about the home European Championship. There were certainly attractive offers on the table.
The positions of Tobias Haupt and Joti Chatzialexiou will no longer be filled
Rettig freed his work area from the confidants of his predecessor Oliver Bierhoff almost unnoticed, but quite quickly. The former head of the U-national team, Meikel Schönweitz, has long been working at the Bundesliga club 1. FSV Mainz 05. Last month, the DFB first parted ways with academy director Tobias Haupt, then with sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou, whose last business trip was with the women’s team at the beginning of December. National team flew to Wales for the Nations League away game.
Both had noticeably lost influence under Rettig, their previous functions no longer appear in the new structure, and as a result both positions will no longer be filled, as the managing director confirmed. In particular, Rettig would have liked to keep Chatzialexiou, who worked for the DFB for 20 years: “We also made Joti a concrete offer within the new structure with personnel responsibility for 70 employees. It was his decision that he did not see himself in it.”
A swipe at too much “Silicon Valley”
It is also a fact that there is no such job with overall responsibility for the national teams under the DFB umbrella. And apparently there is no longer a need for a head of the academy. Their department heads for coaching and football development as well as talent promotion are now located below the youth directorate.
With a dig at too much scientific influence, Rettig noted that they wanted to do so in the future “be a little more Rhine-Main and less Silicon Valley”. Also means: The association will hardly organize trips to large corporations and clubs in the USA with the league managers like in the Bierhoff era in the future. Certainly also a consequence of the austerity dictate that arose after the Frankfurt tax office revoked its non-profit status for the years 2014 and 2015.