Theo Zwanziger
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Theo Zwanziger | |
|---|---|
 Zwanziger in 2006 | |
| 10th President of theDFB | |
| In office 8 September 2006– 2 March 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder |
| Succeeded by | Wolfgang Niersbach |
| Executive President of theDFB | |
| In office 23 October 2004– 8 September 2006 Serving with presidentGerhard Mayer-Vorfelder | |
| District presidentofKoblenz | |
| In office 1987–1991 | |
| Member of theLandtag of Rhineland-Palatinatefrom district 1 | |
| In office 1 June 1985– 9 January 1987 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1945[1] Altendiez,Germany |
| Political party | CDU |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | Federal Cross of Merit |
Theo Zwanziger(born 6 June 1945) is a German lawyer and sports official. He was the president of theGerman Football Association(DFB) from 2006 to 2012. For his contributions to Germanfootball,he received theBundesverdienstkreuzin 2005.[2]
Career
[edit]Theo Zwanziger was an amateur player for his local VfL Altendiez, playing there until 1975.[2]He studied law inMainzand graduated in fiscal and constitutional law.[2]Between 1980 and 1985, he worked as a judge inKoblenzbefore joining the government ofRhineland-Palatinateas a representative of theCDU.[2]
In 1992, Zwanziger entered the DFB as a member of the executive board ( "Mitglied des Vorstandes" ).[3]He was a vital part of the groundbreaking 2001 decision to grant autonomy to the GermanBundesligaprofessional teams, letting them organise themselves in the DFL (Deutsche Fußball-Liga).[3]In 2001, Zwanziger was made treasurer of the DFB and elected vice president in 2003. For his contributions to German football, he received theBundesverdienstkreuzin 2005.[2]On 8 December 2006, he was named co-president alongsideGerhard Mayer-Vorfelder.[3]After Mayer-Vorfelder left the DFB to become UEFA vice president in 2007, he became the sole president of the DFB.
On 2 March 2012, he stepped down.[4]
In March 2016, theFIFA Ethics Committeeopened formal proceedings against Zwanziger regarding the awarding of the2006 FIFA World Cup.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Zwanziger is married and has two sons.[1]
Litigation
[edit]When the renowned sport journalist Jens Weinreich called him an "unglaublicher Demagoge" (unbelievable demagogue), Zwanziger unsuccessfully asked the Landgericht Berlin (country court of Berlin) to issue a temporary injunction against this statement. Zwanziger later publicly announced to go to the court of Koblenz, his former place of work for another attempt, resulting in further criticism from the press and journalists' associations. As of March 2009, Zwanziger's legal attempts to silence Weinreich have all but failed. Weinreich has publicly stated that he fears Zwanziger might continue to useSLAPPtactics to outspend Weinreich, hence accepting donations from the public to cover his legal expenses. On 27 March 2009, Weinreich and the DFB agreed out of court.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Vita Dr. Theo Zwanziger".DFB(in German). Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2011.Retrieved1 July2010.
- ^abcde"Zwanziger receives Order of the Federal Republic of Germany".FIFA.[dead link]
- ^abc"Dr. Theo Zwanziger".DFB(in German). Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2011.Retrieved1 July2010.
- ^"Parting President Zwanziger awarded with state medal".DFB.2 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.Retrieved2 March2012.
- ^Das, Andrew (22 March 2016)."FIFA Opens Ethics Case Against German Soccer Officials Including Beckenbauer".The New York Times.Retrieved29 April2016.
- ^Weinreich, Jens (27 March 2009)."Weinreich: das Finale".jensweinreich.de(in German).Retrieved1 July2010.Behind paywall.
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