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Signing Andreas Rettig is an exciting decision by the DFB. The new managing director is a counterpoint to Oliver Bierhoff – and a counterweight to Aki Watzke.
Recently, Rettig was something like the good conscience of German football. He defended human rights and called the World Cup in Qatar the “Low point of turbo commercialization”, called for more redistribution in German professional football. Ex-Bayern President Uli Hoeneß was so annoyed that he called him the “king of the hypocrites”.
Rettig has been able to speak freely in recent months; his last involvement in the management of third division club Viktoria Köln had ended prematurely. It seemed as if Rettig felt comfortable away from operations. But now the 60-year-old is back in the thick of things.
Rettig for Bierhoff – a cultural change
The fact that he became managing director of the German Football Association (DFB) surprised even insiders. His area of responsibility, the areas of national teams and the DFB academy, sounds very much like what Oliver Bierhoff stood for until his dismissal at the end of 2022. Rettig instead of Bierhoff, a football romantic instead of a manager type – it’s a cultural change.
Rettig probably won’t be as omnipresent as Bierhoff was before, but Rudi Völler is currently there. The crowd favorite will continue to accompany the DFB team as director of the senior national team, at least until the home European Championships in 2024. But Rettig will set the direction in the background – an extremely important task in difficult times.
Balancing act between professionals and amateurs
It’s not just the DFB’s finances that are in need of restructuring, shaken by sporting failures and legacy problems such as the expensive DFB campus. The internal climate and the external image also need to be greatly improved.
The DFB is traditionally torn between amateur and professional sport. The base often feels neglected, and usually rightly so. At the same time, the DFB urgently needs its senior national teams to be successful again. Former national player Sami Khedira, who has long been considered the new managing director, would have advocated a focus on the professional sector, as would Nadine Keßler as a UEFA official.
Rettig is more likely to manage the balancing act. He is a man of high-performance sport, has excellent connections there, but also credibly represents the values and interests of the grassroots.
Rettig as a counterweight to Watzke
Rettig could also ensure better balance in the association. So far it seemed as if the professionals had an unhealthy influence thanks to Hans-Joachim Watzke. Watzke is currently the most powerful man in German football; Borussia Dortmund’s managing director, as chairman of the DFL supervisory board, is also vice president of the DFB. The amateurs, on the other hand, are far less prominently represented; their vice president is Ronny Zimmermann.
In any case, Rettig does not shy away from conflict. Most recently, he publicly criticized the process of the planned investor entry into the DFL as being non-transparent and the distribution was unfair. The deal failed, too many clubs voted against it – much to Watzke’s displeasure.
A much-quoted sentence from Völler from 2015 is hardly explosive: “That’s a typical Rettig, he’s a bit smart as a pig.” At that time, Rettig and Völler had diametrically different interests to represent as St. Pauli manager and as sports director at Bayer Leverkusen. Despite his many uncomfortable statements, Rettig is considered valued in the scene, even by his old companion Völler.
How does Rettig fare in realpolitik?
It will be exciting to see whether the eternal warning Rettig can shape and unite the complex DFB and how he fares in real politics. For example, how does he act when FIFA awards the World Cup to Saudi Arabia? Rettig’s personality is brave, but worth a try. The DFB is setting the course for greater grassroots proximity and democratic structures.