BONN (AP) — Bernd Neuendorf was elected president of the German soccer federation on Friday, a move that signaled a new beginning after several previous leaders departed under a cloud.
The 60-year-old Neuendorf defeated Peter Peters 193-50 at an assembly.
Neuendorf said he wants to “do everything for this association to calm down again” after turbulent years, news agency dpa reported. He said people were fed up with hearing about scandals at the federation and that soccer must once again be the focus, “not the quarrels at the top of the association.”
The last president, Fritz Keller, resigned in May — weeks after he compared Rainer Koch, one of the federation's vice presidents, to a Nazi-era judge. He was the latest of four presidents to leave office amid scandal in recent years.
Keller’s predecessor, Reinhard Grindel, resigned after accepting a luxury watch amid allegations of undeclared earnings and discontent with his leadership. Former federation presidents Wolfgang Niersbach and Theo Zwanziger were both forced out amid allegations of corruption concerning Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid.
Koch, who had served as the interim leader over recent months, was voted out as vice president on Friday. He lost to Silke Sinning 163-68.
Germany is scheduled to host the European Championship in 2024.
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