Rummenigge congratulates Grindel

Reinhard Grindel was elected president of the German FA (DFB) on Friday. He was previously the association's treasurer. The delegates at an extraordinary congress elected the 54-year-old by a majority of 250 to four. Grindel, a former journalist for state broadcaster ZDF, was the only candidate to succeed Wolfgang Niersbach. He is currently an MP but will lay down his parliamentary mandate.

In his speech at the Frankfurt Congress Centre the new DFB president focused on solidarity between the amateur and professional branches of football. “We need a common idea of the sport, we need a future-oriented approach, and we need solidarity between the footballing elite and amateurs,” declared Grindel.

“I congratulate Reinhard Grindel on behalf of FC Bayern,” commented Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “Mr Grindel gave a good account of himself. I liked his words, and I hope that pros and amateurs will get on well as a consequence, as was the case during Wolfgang Niersbach's tenure.”