December 22 – In danger of losing its clout at the top table of world football administration, the German Football Association has officially put forward its President, Reinhard Grindel, for a seat on the FIFA Council.
Grindel’s intention to succeed Wolfgang Niersbach has been an open secret but the DFB have now officially informed all other 54 member UEFA associations about the candidacy of the 55-year-old former politician for the position.
Niersbach reluctantly agreed to vacate his FIFA and UEFA roles after he lost his appeal against his one-year ban from the game as a result of the ongoing 2006 World Cup bid scandal.
Grindel wants to be elected both to the FIFA Council and the UEFA executive committee in April with a view to putting German influence back on the political agenda following the fallout from the World Cup scandal. However, this does raise the question of whether Grindel would be representing German interests first, rather than European ones, if he was elected to the FIFA Council by European associations to represent European interests.
But he has already shown that he brings more to the table than just a measured, diplomatic voice.
Earlier this month he said it was time to do away with the Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament, to ease fixture congestion and allow elite players to have a decent rest the summer before the World Cup itself.
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