Bundesliga
CORRUPTION: GERMAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, GRINDEL RESIGNS
BY NANCY GILLEN
German Football Association (DFB) President Reinhard Grindel has resigned following allegations of undeclared earnings and the acceptance of a watch as a gift.
Last week, Der Spiegel claimed Grindel had failed to declare additional income of €78,000 (£66,986/$87,243) for being chairman of the DFB’s subsidiary media management company in 2016 and 2017.
DFB issued a statement rejecting the accusations, stating that Grindel had taken the position after he became President and therefore had not needed to declare the additional earnings.
Grindel came under further scrutiny, however, when Bild reported he had accepted a watch worth around €6,000 (£5,152/€5,364) from Ukrainian oligarch Grigoriy Surkis, a UEFA vice president and executive committee member.
The German’s subsequent resignation marks the end of the shortest Presidential tenure in the DFB’s 114-year history.
“I am stepping down from the position of DFB president and I apologise for my less-than-exemplary behaviour regarding my acceptance of a watch,” he said in a press conference.
“For me, this was an entirely private gift which I was bound to accept out of politeness.
“I did not have any idea how expensive the watch was and it was a grave oversight on my part not to find out.
“In doing so, I could have avoided the impression that I was acting inappropriately.”
Vice-presidents Rainer Koch and Reinhard Rauball will take over on an interim basis until September.
The duo also had to step in when Grindel’s predecessor, Wolfgang Niersbach, stepped down in November 2015.
This was due to bribery allegations surrounding Germany’s bid to host the World Cup in 2006.
Niersbach was cleared of the allegations last October.
Grindel, who was elected DFB President in April 2016 having resigned as a member of the Bundestag to take up the role, has faced controversy during his tenure.
He was in charge during the scandal surrounding Germany’s Mesut Özil and İlkay Gündoğan at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the duo having posed for photos with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The fallout saw Özil leave the national team, the playmaker
heavily criticising Grindel and claiming he had been made a scapegoat for
Germany’s poor performance and a target for racist abuse.
Grindel also caused unrest among German football fans, having implemented policies such as Monday night games, late kick-off times and a ban on pyrotechnics.
He did, however, oversee the successful bid for Euro 2024, with Germany beating Turkey to win hosting rights.
Fan groups and supporters criticised the DFB throughout the bid campaign, though, mainly due to stalled talks over fan rights and the commercialisation of the game in Germany.
- INSIDE THE GAMES
A masked fan unplugged a VAR monitor during a German second division match on Sunday in an audacious act of sabotage that left the referee looking at a blank screen when he was called to review a potential penalty.
The bizarre incident unfolded during the Bundesliga 2 clash between Preussen Muenster and visiting Hertha Berlin, when referee Felix Bickel was summoned to the pitchside monitor only to discover that someone had yanked out the power plug.
According to Muenster’s website, a masked supporter had infiltrated the interior and unplugged the VAR monitor, sabotaging the review process. German media reported that at the same time, home fans displayed a banner reading “Pull the plug on VAR”.
With Bickel unable to view the replay, VAR official Katrin Rafalski in Cologne was forced to make the decision remotely, ruling that the challenge was indeed a foul, prompting Bickel to award the penalty, which Hertha duly converted.
The Berlin side eventually won the match 2–1 with a stoppage-time goal.
Muenster later said the incident appeared to have been a planned action and that the club would do everything in its power to identify those responsible.
-Reuters
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German football powerhouse Borussia Dortmund has officially launched the BVB International Academy Ghana, marking the club’s first international academy on the African continent.
The academy, which will commence operations in Accra in February 2026, is based at Achimota School and has been established in partnership with Accra Shooting Stars FC. It is designed to provide structured football development for boys and girls aged 6 to 18.
In a statement announcing the project, Dortmund described the initiative as a major milestone for youth football development in Ghana and part of the club’s expanding global academy network.
Young players enrolled at the academy will be trained under Borussia Dortmund’s internationally recognised methodology, which emphasises discipline, leadership, education, nutrition and holistic personal development, while remaining aligned with Ghana’s vibrant football culture.
Benedikt Scholz, Director of Internationalisation and Commercial Partnerships and Managing Director of the BVB Football Academy, said the launch reflects the Bundesliga side’s longstanding relationship with Ghana, forged through former players such as Otto Addo and Ibrahim Tanko.
He described the academy as a “strong statement” of intent and noted that the club’s objective is to build sustainable youth development structures in close cooperation with local partners.
Academy Director Teddy Hiadzi explained that the project is inclusive by design, offering pathways for both recreational and elite players.
“Every child’s football journey is different,” Hiadzi said, adding that the academy’s priority is to provide quality coaching, clear developmental structures and a safe environment for growth on and off the pitch.
Former Dortmund midfielder and Black Stars legend Ibrahim Tanko has been appointed ambassador of the BVB International Academy Ghana. He described the academy as a special opportunity for young Ghanaian talents, noting that the country’s passion for football makes it an ideal environment to instil the mindset and discipline required to succeed at the highest level.
The BVB International Academy Ghana will operate as an official member of Dortmund’s global International Academy network, which already includes academies across Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. Enrolment for the first intake is underway, with information sessions and football camps scheduled in collaboration with local schools.
The launch further strengthens Dortmund’s footprint in Africa and underscores Ghana’s growing reputation as a hub for structured youth football development on the continent.
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Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday with goals from Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong.
Leverkusen finished with 10 players after Álex Grimaldo’s sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buendía and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Xabi Alonso’s team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen.
Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury, and he scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim ’keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have stopped.
Frimpong made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aleix García sent the Dutch wing back through.
Then Robin Braun became the first referee to announce a VAR call to fans in a Bundesliga game when a penalty he awarded to Nathan Tella for a foul by Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek was taken back — video replays showed the Leverkusen attacker was coming from an offside position before he was fouled.
Leverkusen’s match was among five in the 20th round trialling the NFL-style announcements, a change league officials hope will make the much-maligned VAR system more popular among fans.
Buendía went on for the injured Tella to make his Bundesliga debut before the break, and Schick went on for Boniface after it.
Buendía surged through the Hoffenheim defence only to see his shot saved by Philipp, but Schick was there to tuck away the rebound for 3-0 in the 51st. It was the Czech forward’s 14th league goal of the season.
Then Grimaldo was shown red in the 61st when Hoffenheim substitute Gift Orban went on for the visitors. Orban pulled a goal back a minute later.
Buendía made way for Hermoso to compensate for Grimaldo’s sending off. Though tempers flared at times, Leverkusen’s 10 men contained the visitors for the rest of the game.
Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Wolfsburg 1-1 in the early game.
-AFP
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