Bernd Johannes Neuendorf (born 6 July 1961) is a German politician, journalist and football administrator who is currently serving as the president of the German Football Association (DFB). He had previously served as the president of the Middle Rhine Football Association from 2019 until his election as DFB president in 2022. Before entering sports, he was the state secretary of the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2012 to 2017.
Bernd Neuendorf | |
|---|---|
 Neuendorf in 2015 | |
| 14th President of the DFB | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Rainer Koch and Peter Peters (acting) |
| President of the Middle Rhine Football Association | |
| In office 29 June 2019 – 11 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred Vianden |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Christian Olpen and Johanna Sandvoß (acting) |
| State Secretary of the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| In office 1 October 2012 – 27 June 2017 | |
| Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Klaus Schäfer |
| Succeeded by | Andreas Bothe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernd Johannes Neuendorf[1] 6 July 1961[2] Düren, West Germany |
| Political party | SPD |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation |
|
Early life
editNeuendorf was born in Düren and grew up in the municipality of Hürtgenwald.[3] He studied modern history, political science and sociology in Bonn and Oxford after receiving his Abitur from the Gymnasium am Wirteltor Düren.[4] He played youth football for FC Grenzwacht Hürtgen, where he is still a club member, as a left winger until suffering a serious knee injury.[5] After a traineeship at Reuters from 1989 to 1990, he worked as an editor for the Associated Press in Frankfurt until 1991. Between 1992 and 1999, Neuendorf was a parliamentary correspondent for various daily newspapers in Bonn. He then moved to the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung in Halle (Saale). There he was deputy editor-in-chief from 2001 to 2003.[2]
Politics
editIn 2003, Neuendorf became a spokesperson for the SPD party executive in Berlin. In 2004, he became the head of the press and public relations department for SPD North Rhine-Westphalia. From 2007 to October 2012, he was the state manager of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia.[2] From October 2012 until the change of government in June 2017,[6] he succeeded Klaus Schäfer as state secretary of the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia.[7]
Since 1 October 2019, Neuendorf has served as a board member of the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation in Hamburg.[8]
Sports administration
editOn 29 June 2019, Neuendorf was unanimously elected president of the Middle Rhine Football Association at the association congress, succeeding Alfred Vianden in a term lasting until 2022.[9] Neuendorf also served a member of the DFB Executive Committee and vice-president of the Western German Football Association.[10][11]
On 11 March 2022, Neuendorf ran for the presidency of the German Football Association (DFB) at the DFB-Bundestag in Bonn. He won the election with 193 of the 250 votes cast, becoming the 14th president of the DFB. He defeated Peter Peters, who had formed an interim dual leadership with Rainer Koch following the resignation of Fritz Keller in May 2021.[5] Following his election, he duly resigned from his previous post as president of the Middle Rhine Football Association.[12]
Personal life
editNeuendorf is married and has two children.[2]
References
edit- ^ "German Football Association". FIFA. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Bernd Neuendorf" (in German). Staatskanzlei des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Bernd Neuendorf will DFB-Präsident werden" [Bernd Neuendorf wants to become DFB President]. Aachener Zeitung (in German). 22 November 2021.
- ^ Theweleit, Daniel (3 February 2022). "Wer wird DFB-Präsident? Mit politischem Kalkül: Bernd Neuendorf" [Who will be DFB President? With political calculation: Bernd Neuendorf]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Hennef. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Bernd Neuendorf ist neuer DFB-Präsident" [Bernd Neuendorf is the new DFB President] (in German). German Football Association. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Neue NRW-Minister sind vereidigt" [New NRW ministers have been sworn in]. Rheinische Post (in German). Düsseldorf. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Bernd Neuendorf zum Staatssekretär ernannt" [Bernd Neuendorf appointed state secretary]. Aachener Zeitung (in German). 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Zwei neue Köpfe im Vorstand der Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung" [Two new heads on the board of the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation] (in German). Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Bernd Neuendorf ist neuer FVM-Präsident" [Bernd Neuendorf is the new FVM President] (in German). Middle Rhine Football Association. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Präsidium und Beirat" [Executive committee and advisory board] (in German). Middle Rhine Football Association. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Präsidium" [Executive committee] (in German). Western German Football Association. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Bernd Neuendorf ist neuer DFB-Präsident" [Bernd Neuendorf is the new DFB President] (in German). Middle Rhine Football Association. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.