The German Football Association (DFB) defends itself against the accusation of nepotism and cheating against its referee GmbH.
The “speculations” raised in a media report (“The Great Klüngel Report”, “Bild am Sonntag”) are “resolutely rejected”, according to a statement by the association on Monday.
Those responsible at DFB Schiri GmbH “maintain an open and cooperative management style in their work with the active (…) in which communication takes place both through many individual discussions and through group events,” it says. Referee boss Lutz Michael Fröhlich emphasizes that critical feedback is “expressly desired” – even if it is given anonymously.
The DFB counters the accusation that the bosses can “freely determine who is allowed to whistle internationally” and that it is about “having the best network” that personnel decisions are “made on the basis of current performance and performance development”. “Of course, this also applies to the nominations for the international list of referees,” explains Fröhlich.
The long-time referee emphasizes that “the higher-level interpretation of the rules, which also includes knowledge from the exchange with the clubs and with football experts”, is carried out by those responsible at DFB Schiri GmbH “in coordination with the DFB teacher”. He counters the assertion that those responsible for the DFB decide “themselves which decisions are wrong and which are right”, as stated in the said report. The classification of individual situations and the evaluation of the referee’s performance is carried out by specially trained observers and coaches, according to the association.