Frankfurt/Main (dpa) – The German Football Association has also asked the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, as an honorary member of the association, to forego the “functions in Russian state-owned companies”.
“Or if he is not willing to give up his honorary membership in the DFB”, wrote the two DFB interim presidents Hans-Joachim Watzke and Rainer Koch in a statement. Borussia Dortmund had previously made a similar statement at the request of the TV station Welt. The former Chancellor is also an honorary member of BVB.
Schröder is considered a longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 77-year-old is the head of the supervisory board at the Russian state energy company Rosneft and also has management positions in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline projects to end. But there was no talk of personal consequences.
“In our opinion, far more is necessary at the moment than just a general condemnation of acts of war,” says the DFB statement. “From the point of view of the DFB, what is required is not only the cessation of sporting competitions with Russian teams, but also solidarity with Ukraine and the complete cessation of commitments in Russian institutions, especially state-owned companies.”
Honorary members of the association “must unconditionally commit to the basic values anchored in the statutes of the DFB”, which include “in particular the respect of all internationally recognized human rights and the obligation to oppose all inhuman attitudes and behavior”.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine was “violating international law and therefore incompatible with the values of the DFB,” wrote the two interim presidents. “The clear stance of the DFB must also be drawn from its leading representatives and also from its honorary members. We also expect such a stance from Gerhard Schröder.” In conclusion, Watzke and Koch wrote: “We very much hope that our honorary member Gerhard Schröder will share this attitude of the DFB leadership and give up his functions in Russian state-owned companies before the DFB Bundestag on March 11th or, in the event that he does not ready to give up his honorary membership in the DFB.”
Borussia Dortmund had previously asked the former chancellor to resign. “Should Gerhard Schröder continue to hold on to his positions, we as BV. Borussia 09 eV Dortmund could not accept this and would make the appropriate decision,” said the club to the TV station Welt.
“In our opinion, in a situation in which innocent people are dying from bombs every single day, it is essential not only to make a verbal commitment against any act of war (this was made by Gerhard Schröder), but also to have a clear will and the conviction to Having to do without management positions in Russian state-owned companies. We sincerely hope that Gerhard Schröder will come to this conclusion and would like to give him the opportunity to do so,” said the BVB statement.
“During his political work as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, we got to know Gerhard Schröder as a courageous, combative democrat who defended his liberal world view even against resistance,” said BVB. “We like to remember this Gerhard Schröder and hope that this Gerhard Schröder not only has a past, but also a future.”