Governing body of association football in Germany
The
German Football Association
(
German
:
Deutscher Fußball-Bund
[?d??t??
?fuːsbal?b?nt]
;
DFB
[?deː??f?beː]
ⓘ
) is the governing body of
football
,
futsal
, and
beach soccer
in
Germany
. A founding member of both
FIFA
and
UEFA
, the DFB has jurisdiction for the
German football league system
and is in charge of the
men's
and
women's
national teams. The DFB headquarters are in
Frankfurt am Main
. Sole members of the DFB are the
German Football League
(
German
:
Deutsche Fußball Liga
;
DFL
), organising the professional
Bundesliga
and the
2. Bundesliga
, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.
History
[
edit
]
1875 to 1900
[
edit
]
From 1875 to the mid-1880s, the first kind of football played in Germany was according to
rugby
rules. Later,
association-style football
teams formed separate clubs, and since 1890, they began to organise on regional and national levels.
1900 to 1933
[
edit
]
The DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) was founded on 28 January 1900 in
Leipzig
by representatives of
86 clubs
. The vote held to establish the association was 62:22 in favour (84 votes). Some delegates present represented more than one club, but may have voted only once. Other delegates present did not carry their club's authority to cast a ballot.
Ferdinand Hueppe
, the representative of DFC Prague, was named its first president.
[1]
The DFB consolidated the large number of state-based German regional competitions in play for a single recognized national title for the season 1902/03. Germans were not present in Paris when FIFA was founded by seven nations in May 1904, but by the time the FIFA statutes came into effect on 1 September, Germany had also joined by telegram as the eighth nation. The
German national team
played its first game in 1908.
Before 1914, the
German Empire
was much larger than today's Germany, comprising
Alsace-Lorraine
and the
eastern provinces
. The borders of the regional associations were drawn according to suitable railway connections. Also, teams based in
Bohemia
, then part of
Austria-Hungary
, were eligible, as they were German Football clubs and thus considered German. Thus, a German team from
Prague
was runner-up in the German championship. On the other hand, clubs of the
Danish
minority in
Northern Schleswig
refused to join the DFB. This area after World War I voted to join Denmark. Due to border changes imposed by the
Treaty of Versailles
, the DFB had to adapt its structure. The
Saarland
,
Danzig
, and the
Memelland
were detached from Germany and
East Prussia
was cut off from the main part by the
Polish Corridor
.
1933 to 1945
[
edit
]
The role of DFB and its representatives like
Felix Linnemann
under
Nazi Germany
was documented in
100 Jahre DFB
and by Nils Havemann in
Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz
.
[2]
According to
Gleichschaltung
policy, the DFB, with its large membership from all political sides, and strong regional structures compared to weak national ones, submitted to new rulers and new
Gau
structures. On a short general meeting on 9 July 1933 in Berlin, the DFB did so, at least formally.
Later, the
Hitler salute
was made compulsory;
Marxists
and
Jews
were expelled. The records of
German Jews
were erased from the DFD's records, such as those of
Gottfried Fuchs
who had scored a world record ten goals for Germany in a 16?0 win against
Russia
at the
1912 Summer Olympics
in Stockholm, becoming the top scorer of the tournament and setting an international record.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
When, in 1972, German former player and national team coach
Sepp Herberger
asked the German Football Association vice president
Hermann Neuberger
to invite Fuchs as a guest or a guest of honour to an international against Russia on the 60th anniversary of Fuchs' performance for the German team, the DFB Executive Committee declined to do so, writing that it was not willing to invite Fuchs because it would have created an unfortunate precedent (as was pointed out, given that Fuchs was the last remaining former Jewish German international, the DFB's concern about creating a precedent was a difficult one to understand).
[9]
[10]
As of 2016, Fuchs was still the top German scorer for one match.
[7]
A new organization,
Deutscher Reichsbund fur Leibesubungen
(German Reich League for Physical Exercise), was established and Linnemann was appointed leader of its
Fachamt Fußball
(Football section), which took over the operational affairs, whereas the DFB lost most of its duties until it was formally dissolved in 1940.
On the pitch, Germany had done well in 1934, but after a 0?2 loss to Norway in the quarter finals of the
1936 Summer Olympics
, with
Adolf Hitler
attending, the DFB and football fell from grace.
Reichsjugendfuhrer
Baldur von Schirach
and the
Hitler Youth
took over youth football (under 16) from the clubs following a deal with
Reichssportfuhrer
Hans von Tschammer und Osten
, who had been in charge of all sports in Germany since 1933, making DFB officials even more powerless. Germany had made a bid to host the
1938 World Cup
, but it was withdrawn without comment.
Following the
Anschluss
in March 1938 that made
Austria
part of Germany, the
Austrian Football Association
became part of the German federation. New coach
Sepp Herberger
was told on short notice to use also Austrian players in his team, which was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup, weakening the situation of football within the Nazi politics to near meaninglessness. Four Germans (Hans Jakob,
Albin Kitzinger
, Ludwig Goldbrunner, and Ernst Lehner) represented West Europe in a FIFA friendly on 20 June 1937 in
Amsterdam
, and another two (Kitzinger again and
Anderl Kupfer
) represented a FIFA continental team on 26 October 1938 in
London
,
England
. During the war, Germany played international games until 1942.
1945 to 1963
[
edit
]
In the aftermath of
World War II
, German organisations were disbanded by the allies.
FIFA
decided in November 1945 to ban the no longer existing DFB (and
Japan
's
football association
) from international competition, while the Austrian association was re-founded. Internationally, Germans were still represented, with
Zurich
-based
Ivo Schricker
serving as General Secretary of FIFA from 1932 to December 1950. In 1948, Switzerland requested FIFA to lift the ban on games against Germans, but this was denied. Swiss clubs played German clubs anyway, but had to cease doing so due to international protests. This was only changed in 1949 when
The Football Association
requested FIFA to lift the ban on club games. FIFA did so on 7 May 1949, two weeks before the
Federal Republic of Germany
was founded, thus games required permission by the military governments of the time.
Due to partition into several occupation zones, and states, the DFB was legally re-founded in
Stuttgart
on 21 January 1950 only by the West German regional associations, without the
Saarland Football Association
in the
French occupied Saarland
, which on 12 June 1950 would be recognized by FIFA as the first of three German FAs after the war. At the FIFA congress held on 22 June prior to the
1950 FIFA World Cup
in Brazil, the
Swiss Football Association
requested that the DFB be reinstated with full FIFA membership, which was granted on 22 September 1950
[11]
in Brussels. Thus, Germany was excluded from the
1950 FIFA World Cup
and could resume international games only in late 1950.
In the early years of the
division of Germany
, West Germany claimed
exclusive mandate
of all of Germany. Unlike the
IOC
, which granted only provisional recognition to the East Germans in 1955, demanding they participate in an All-German Olympic team (
United Team of Germany
), FIFA fully recognized the
East German Football Association
in 1952. Winning the
1954 World Cup
was a major success for the DFB, and the popularity of the sport in Germany.
The teams of the DFB and the Saarland were squared off in the qualifiers for the 1954 World Cup before the Saarland and its FA was permitted to rejoin Germany and the DFB in 1956.
1963 to present
[
edit
]
Due to that success, and due to regional associations fearing to lose influence, the old amateur structure, in which five regional leagues represented the top level, remained in effect longer than in many other countries, even though a
Reichsliga
had been proposed decades ago. Also, professionalism was rejected, and players who played abroad were considered "mercenaries" and not capped. The conservative attitude changed only after disappointing results in the
1962 FIFA World Cup
when officials like the 75-year-old
Peco Bauwens
retired. According to the proposals of Hermann Neuberger, the DFB finally introduced a single nationwide professional league, the Bundesliga, for the 1963?64 season.
The DFB has hosted the World Cup in
1974
and
2006
. Germany also hosted the
1988 European Championship
. Upon reunification in 1990, the East German
Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR
(DFV) was absorbed into the DFB.
The national team won the World Cup for a second time in 1974, a third time in
1990
, and a fourth in the
2014 FIFA World Cup
. Also, they were crowned European champions three times, in 1972, in 1980 and in 1996. On top, the
Mannschaft
were runners-up in the 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002 World Cups and in 1976, 1992 and 2008 European Championships.
The DFB has also overseen the rise of Germany as a world power in
women's football
. The
national team
has won
World Cups
in
2003
and
2007
?the latter without conceding a goal in the final tournament, making them the only World Cup champions for men or women to do so. Furthermore, the women's national team's victory in 2003 made Germany the only nation to have won both the Men's and Women's World Cups, until
Spain
achieved the same milestone in
2023
.
[12]
They have also won eight
UEFA Women's Championships
, including the last six in succession.
In 1990, mere months before reunification became official, the DFB founded the
women's Bundesliga
(
Frauen-Bundesliga
), directly modelled after the men's Bundesliga. Initially, it was played in north and south divisions but became a single league in 1997. Bundesliga teams have enjoyed more success in the
UEFA Women's Champions League
than those from any other nation; four different clubs have won a total of seven titles, with the most recent being
2015 champions
1. FFC Frankfurt
.
Since 2005, in memory of former German-Jewish Olympian international footballer
Julius Hirsch
who was killed in
Auschwitz concentration camp
during
the Holocaust
, the German Football Federation awards the "
Julius-Hirsch-Preis
" for outstanding examples of integration and tolerance within German football.
[13]
[14]
In 2018, Germany was chosen to host
UEFA Euro 2024
.
[15]
Critics
[
edit
]
The main criticisms of the DFB are the lack of transparency and the commercialization of football, which has been strongly promoted by DFB officials.
Christian Prechtl, from the fan organization
FC PlayFair!
, mentioned that the growing unpopularity of the
men's national team
is "just a perfect example of what can happen when you have the fans out of sight".
[16]
[17]
Structure
[
edit
]
Members
[
edit
]
Direct members of the DFB are only its five regional associations and its 21 state associations, along with the
German Football League
, whereas the clubs participating in the
German football league system
are members of the state associations covering their district. Today, more than 25,000 clubs are organised in those state associations, fielding nearly 170,000 teams with over two million active players and totalling over six million members, the largest membership of any single sports federation in the world. The Association governs 870,000 female members and 8,600 female teams.
Regional and state associations
[
edit
]
The DFB is organised into five regional associations, which themselves are sub-divided into 21 state associations. These associations typically have their boundaries run along the borders of the German
states
, with the exception of some states (
North Rhine-Westphalia
,
Rhineland-Palatinate
, and
Baden-Wurttemberg
) having up to three state associations covering different areas of such state.
Southern Germany
[
edit
]
The
Southern German Football Association
(
German
:
Suddeutscher Fußball-Verband;
SFV
) covers the states of
Baden-Wurttemberg
,
Bavaria
and
Hesse
. The
SFV
, formed on 17 October 1897 under the name of
Verband Suddeutscher Fußball-Vereine
, originally administered the
Southern German football championship
, until it was dissolved by the Nazis in 1933. Reformed in the
American
occupation zone after the Second World War, it operated the
Oberliga Sud
, the regional division of the former top level German
Oberliga
until the introduction of the
Bundesliga
in 1963. Since the 2012?13 season, the
SFV
, except its member Bavarian FA, along with the
Football Association of the Southwest
is in charge of the
Regionalliga Sudwest
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
. The
SFV
itself is formed by the following state associations:
[18]
Southwestern Germany
[
edit
]
The
Southwestern Regional Football Association
(
German
:
Fußball-Regional-Verband Sudwest;
FRVS
) covers the states
Rhineland-Palatinate
and
Saarland
and was formed after the Second World War in the
French
occupation zone in Germany. Its highest league until the introduction of the
Bundesliga
in 1963 was the
Oberliga Sudwest
, the regional division of the former top level German
Oberliga
. Since the 2012?13 season, the
FRVS
, along with the
Southern German football association
is in charge of
Regionalliga Sudwest
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
. Additionally, the
FRVS
administers the
Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar
, a step 5 division. The
FRVS
itself is formed by the following state associations:
[19]
Western Germany
[
edit
]
The
Western German Football Association
(
German
:
Westdeutscher Fußballverband;
WDFV
) covers the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
. The association was known as
WFLV
from 2002 to 2016 and used to administer the
Western German football championship
until 1933. From 1947 to 1963, its highest league was the
Oberliga West
, the regional division of the former top level German
Oberliga
. Since the 2008?09 season, the
WDFV
is in charge of the
Regionalliga West
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
. The
WDFV
itself is formed by the following state associations:
[20]
Northern Germany
[
edit
]
The
Northern German Football Association
(
German
:
Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband;
NFV
) covers the states of
Bremen
,
Hamburg
,
Lower Saxony
and
Schleswig-Holstein
. The association used to administer the
Northern German football championship
until 1933. From 1947 to 1963, its highest league was the
Oberliga Nord
, the regional division of the former top level German
Oberliga
. Since the 1994?95 season, the
NFV
is in charge of the
Regionalliga Nord
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
. The
NFV
itself is formed by the following state associations:
[21]
Northeastern Germany
[
edit
]
The
Northeastern German Football Association
(
German
:
Nordostdeutscher Fußball-Verband;
NOFV
) covers the states of
Berlin
,
Brandenburg
,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
,
Saxony
,
Saxony-Anhalt
and
Thuringia
. The association is the youngest of the five regional associations, having been formed after German reunification in 1990 as a successor of the disbanded
German Football Association of the
GDR
. Since the 2012?13 season and previously from 1994 to 2000, the
NOFV
administers the
Regionalliga Nordost
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
, and the step 5
Oberliga Nordost
. The
NOFV
itself is formed by the following state associations:
[22]
Presidents
[
edit
]
Administration
[
edit
]
DFB Administration is located in
Frankfurt (Main)
. It is headed by Secretary General
Friedrich Curtius
and managing directors Heike Ullrich (Deputy Secretary General),
Oliver Bierhoff
and Markus Holzherr.
Men's Honours
[
edit
]
Major competitions
[
edit
]
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship
Summer Olympic Games
FIFA Confederations Cup
- Champions (1)
:
2017
- Third place (1):
2005
Women's Honours
[
edit
]
Major competitions
[
edit
]
FIFA Women's World Cup
UEFA Women's Championship
Summer Olympic Games
DFB Mascot
[
edit
]
The official mascot is an eagle with black feathers and a yellow beak called
"Paule"
(since 26 March 2006).
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"From Leipzig to Paris ? the story of how the DFB became the first association to join FIFA"
.
Museum Blog
. FIFA World Football Museum. 28 January 2020.
- ^
Havemann, Nils (2006).
Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz. Der DFB zwischen Sport, Politik und Kommerz
. Bonn: Bundeszentrale fur politische Bildung.
- ^
"War, Auschwitz, and the Tragic Tale of Germany's Jewish Soccer Hero"
.
Vice Sports
. 13 April 2015.
- ^
Cox, Nigel (April 2008).
Phone Home Berlin: Collected Non-Fiction
. Victoria University Press.
ISBN
9780864738004
.
- ^
Reyes, Macario (26 June 2008).
"V. Olympiad Stockholm 1912 Football Tournament"
.
RSSSF
. Retrieved
30 December
2013
.
- ^
Simpson, Kevin E. (22 September 2016).
Soccer under the Swastika: Stories of Survival and Resistance during the Holocaust
. Rowman & Littlefield.
ISBN
9781442261631
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
– via Google Books.
- ^
a
b
"Gottfried Fuchs Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com"
. 17 April 2020. Archived from
the original
on 17 April 2020
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
.
- ^
Clavane, Anthony (27 September 2012).
Does Your Rabbi Know You're Here?: The Story of English Football's Forgotten Tribe
. Quercus Publishing.
ISBN
9780857388131
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
– via Google Books.
- ^
a
b
"
"Snapshot ? Sepp Herberger tries to invite Gottfried Fuchs"
"
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
.
- ^
"Judische Sportstars: Gottfried Fuchs"
.
juedische-sportstars.de
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
.
- ^
"DFB ? Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. ? Die DFB-Geschichte"
.
www.dfb.de
. Retrieved
22 November
2022
.
- ^
Jopson, Barney; Agini, Samuel (20 August 2023).
"Spain beat England 1-0 to become Women's World Cup champions"
.
Financial Times
. Retrieved
21 August
2023
.
- ^
Ein Zeichen gegen Diskriminierung
Archived
1 July 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
(in German)
DFB
website. Retrieved 25 June 2012
- ^
Mendel, Jack.
"Living with the ghost of my grandfather, a German Jewish football icon"
.
Times of Israel
.
- ^
"Euro 2024: Germany beats Turkey to host tournament"
.
BBC News
. 27 September 2018
. Retrieved
27 September
2018
.
- ^
dpa (26 December 2018).
"Increasing commercialization: DFB team as a deterrent example: Alienation of football from the grassroots?"
.
www.svz.de
. Retrieved
7 September
2021
.
- ^
"commerce around the DFB team hits the German fans"
.
svz.de
. 10 November 2020
. Retrieved
7 September
2021
.
- ^
Southern German Football Association website
(in German)
accessed: 24 March 2023
- ^
Southwestern German Football Association website
(in German)
accessed: 17 July 2012
- ^
Western German Football Association website
(in German)
accessed: 17 July 2012
- ^
Northern German Football Association website
(in German)
accessed: 17 July 2012
- ^
North Eastern German Football Association website
(in German)
accessed: 17 July 2012
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Deutscher Fußball-Bund
at Wikimedia Commons
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General
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Venues
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Statistics
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World Finals
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Rivalries
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Culture
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Women's World Finals
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