The German Football Association (DFB) is today mourning the loss of Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. The honorary president of the DFB passed away on Monday in a hospital in Stuttgart at the age of 82. He is survived by his wife Margit and four children.
“On behalf of the DFB and also personally, I would like to express my condolences to his wife Margit and the entire family,” says DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach. “Gerhard was a defining figure of German football. Over the years I have got to know him as a straightforward, determined and competent person, who showed great commitment to sport and always had the needs of the players in mind.”
The former Minister for Culture and Sport and Minister for Finance in Baden-Württemberg began his work in football on the board of the Württemberg Football Association. He became the president of VfB Stuttgart in 1975, and during his time in office oversaw two Bundesliga titles (1984 and 1992) and a DFB Cup (1997) until 2000. From 1986 until 2000 he also led the league’s governing board.
He was part of the DFB Committee from 1986 and also held the office of vice president from 1992 until 2001. In 2001 he was elected president and so oversaw the 2006 World Cup in Germany. After the World Cup he resigned from the job and was made honorary president in 2007. Mayer-Vorfelder also obtained international respect during his time on the executive committees of FIFA and UEFA. In appreciation of his achievements he was awarded, amongst other honours, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
One of his most important decisions as president of the DFB was the optimisation of talent promotion in German football. It was his efforts that specifically targeted the expansion of the network of DFB support bases and improved training; he also made youth development centres obligatory for professional clubs.
Wolfgang Niersbach says, “His ideas and his commitment gave football important impetus, from which we are all profiting today. The current successes, with winning the World Cup as a highpoint, point back to the pioneering choices the Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder played a major role in.”
The German Football Association (DFB) is today mourning the loss of Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. The honorary president of the DFB passed away on Monday in a hospital in Stuttgart at the age of 82. He is survived by his wife Margit and four children.
“On behalf of the DFB and also personally, I would like to express my condolences to his wife Margit and the entire family,” says DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach. “Gerhard was a defining figure of German football. Over the years I have got to know him as a straightforward, determined and competent person, who showed great commitment to sport and always had the needs of the players in mind.”
The former Minister for Culture and Sport and Minister for Finance in Baden-Württemberg began his work in football on the board of the Württemberg Football Association. He became the president of VfB Stuttgart in 1975, and during his time in office oversaw two Bundesliga titles (1984 and 1992) and a DFB Cup (1997) until 2000. From 1986 until 2000 he also led the league’s governing board.
He was part of the DFB Committee from 1986 and also held the office of vice president from 1992 until 2001. In 2001 he was elected president and so oversaw the 2006 World Cup in Germany. After the World Cup he resigned from the job and was made honorary president in 2007. Mayer-Vorfelder also obtained international respect during his time on the executive committees of FIFA and UEFA. In appreciation of his achievements he was awarded, amongst other honours, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
One of his most important decisions as president of the DFB was the optimisation of talent promotion in German football. It was his efforts that specifically targeted the expansion of the network of DFB support bases and improved training; he also made youth development centres obligatory for professional clubs.
Wolfgang Niersbach says, “His ideas and his commitment gave football important impetus, from which we are all profiting today. The current successes, with winning the World Cup as a highpoint, point back to the pioneering choices the Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder played a major role in.”
