DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and DFL boss Hans-Joachim Watzke were again elected to the decisive committees of FIFA and UEFA at the UEFA Congress. A lot of politics played a role in awarding the places.
There was no competition for Neuendorf in his re-election as a UEFA representative in the FIFA Council. Four UEFA members in the FIFA Council were determined on Thursday (03/03/2025) at the congress in Belgrade, exactly four candidates were available for this: Razvan Burleanu (Romania), Georgios Kouma (Cyprus) and Dejan Savicevic (Montenegro) were re -elected like Neuendorf. Belgium’s association president also pulls Pascale Van Damme for European Platz in the FIFA Council, which is guaranteed to a woman.
In view of the lack of competition, the places were awarded with an approving applause – by acclamation – and without a real coordination. The places bring many advantages for the officials: In the UEFA Executive Committee and FIFA Council, important contacts are made, negotiations are conducted, information exchanged. The term is four years. The post guarantees Neuendorf and all other members of the FIFA Council $ 250,000 gross per year. The remuneration by the DFB of around 240,000 euros, in which Neuendorf stands for three years in autumn, is added.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) and DFB President Bernd Neuendorf
FIFA Council
The FIFA Council is the highest body in the World Association. It is the successor organ of the scandalumed FIFA Executive Committee and recently came into the focus when it was a procedure criticized by the Norwegian association All measures takento award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
UEFA Executive Committee: Watzke prevails against other candidates
In contrast, there had to be a vote in the UEFA Executive Committee, because there were significantly more candidates than free places. Seven posts are awarded, eleven men wanted them. Watzke, the Presidium spokesman and head of supervisory board of the DFL, was also elected with a clear majority among the 55 member associations.
| person | country | Voices |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Paauw | Netherlands | 49 |
| Gabriele Gravina* | Italy | 48 |
Hans-Joachim Watzke* | Germany | 48 |
| Marijan Kustić | Croatia | 42 |
| Ari Lahti | Finland | 41 |
| Aivar Pohlak | Estonia | 37 |
Poor Melikbewyan | Armenia | 29 |
not chosen: | ||
| Cezary Kulesza | Poland | 21 |
Hugo cuboid | Liechtenstein | 19 |
| Dominique Blanc | Switzerland | 11 |
| Pedro Proença | Portugal | 7 |
*stood for re -election
Watzke thus continues his role as a “multifunctional”. As a DFL supervisory board head, he wants to be re-elected in autumn, which secures the post as 1st DFB Vice President. In addition, there would be the role in the UEFA Executive Committee. He had given up his post on the board of the powerful club association ECA. Watzke’s main job is currently that of the managing director at Borussia Dortmund, where he has announced his departure.
Borussia Dortmund’s chairman of the management, Hans-Joachim Watzke
In addition, two places were awarded for half term after Luis Rubiales from Spain (attacking behavior against the player Jennifer Hermoso) and Andrii Pavelko from Ukraine (allegations on corruption, embezzlement and fraud) had cleared their posts prematurely. Rafael Louzán Abal Spain and Moshe Zuares from Israel were awarded the contract.
| person | country | Voices |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Louzán Abal | Spain | 32 |
Moshe Zuares | Israel | 31 |
not chosen: | ||
Bjorn Vassallo | Malta | 18 |
Andrii Shevchenko | Ukraine | 15 |
| Vadims ļašenko | Latvia | 11 |
Moshe Zuares, President of the Israeli Association
Voting behavior With many political aspects
The candidates have to unite an absolute majority of the valid votes and leave at least four of the other candidates behind to be elected. Many (sports) political aspects remain in the case of voting behavior:
- For the DFB, the question also arose which candidates the DFB will support in the application for the European Championship of women in 2029. The competitors are Italy, Poland and Portugal, also provided candidates.
- Russia’s association president Alexander Dyukov did not compete for another term. Andrii Shevchenko from the Ukraine attacked by Russia failed at the same time.
- Portugal’s leader Pedro Proença rarely made it clear with seven votes. The cause is probably in an internal conflict between him and his predecessor Fernando Gomes, who sits in the FIFA Council. The relationship is called “war” in Portuguese media.
Members of the UEFA Executive Committee have received 160,000 euros per year since 2017. In addition to his salary in Dortmund and the UEFA salary, Watzke also receives a remuneration from the DFB (around 75,000 euros), but according to the association does not use a third of these payments.
Those EXKO members who are Vice President or Vice President of the UEFA receive 250,000 euros a year. The UEFA President’s salary Aleksander Ceferin in 2023/24 was 3.25 million Swiss francs, the previous year it was CHF 2.875 million.
QUOTENPLAGE: This time the piano is increasing
For the first time, Norway’s association President Lise Klaveness in Belgrade was elected a second woman to the UEFA Executive Committee. She was the only applicant for the new second quota place and came into office by acclamation. Since 2016 there has been a quota place, the UEFA Vice President since 2023 Laura McAllister out of Wales holds. Back then it also stood Piano To choose from, but it applied for the general places that are still occupied exclusively by men. “I want to be elected as an association president, not as a woman”she said at the time. This time she reached.
In association policy, the piano repeatedly advocated transparency or compliance with human rights, it was a “stone in the shoe” of the infantino-led FIFA. At the UEFA, she was shown in 2023 that this role was probably not particularly desired, it failed with only 18 out of 55 votes. Now it belongs to the committee.
Norway’s association president Lise Klaveness