Wolfgang Niersbach

His first year in charge of the German Football Association completed, Wolfgang Niersbach takes a look back in this exclusive interview on some of the daunting tasks he had to master. The inaugurated General Secretary first took office on October 27, 2007. Negotiating an extended contract with broadcast-partners ARD and ZDF, then introducing the ‘3. Liga’, a new national league for the third level of football competition in Germany, dominated Niersbach’s immediate agenda. The 58-year old administrator tackled both issues with resolve and moxie. Neither is Niersbach one to dally and dawdle, nor does he mince words. He balances these qualities with a gift for reconciliation and compromise.

In this ‘DFB.de Talk of the Week’, Niersbach reviews the highs and lows of 2008, points out some milestones on the road ahead, leaving no doubt where he sees the hallmark of the DFB: The national teams - with the men’s A team deservedly recognized as the association’s flagship. “The qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is our primary goal for next year. Russia have proven what they are capable off, so we will face an extremely challenging task”, says Niersbach. The conversation with DFB-editor Wolfgang Tobien makes it evident that Niersbach does not retreat to hollow phrases and ‘PR-lingo’ as he defines the future strategic direction, as he battles potentially harmful effects of the global economic crises and hones his leadership skills in his still relatively new role as the General Secretary of one of the world’s largest sporting associations.

DFB.de: Looking back on your first year as General secretary, what stands out for 2008?

Wolfgang Niersbach: Two games of our men’s team – the 3-2 win over Portugal in the quarterfinal of the EURO and the 2-1 won over Russia in Dortmund. Both times, our team played spectacular football. I also think back on a three-set tennis match, where I managed to beat an opponent twenty years younger than me in the tie-break. That was a very good day as well.

DFB.de: Understood. But winning the final against Spain in Vienna would have been even more rewarding, right?

Niersbach: When you reach a final, you want to come out on top. I was in the stadium when Germany won the European Championships in 1972, 1980 and 1996 and also when we triumphed at the World Cup in 1974 and 1990. But I also first-hand experience at some of the tough losses. Defeat in a final is simply excruciating, almost unbearable, especially for the first hour after the final whistle.

DFB.de: You devote a significant part of resources into the competitive side of the game, the elite of German football. Looking back, how do you rate the performances of all national teams in 2008?

Niersbach: Our team takes second-place in the FIFA World Ranking as we close the year, a fact we should be more thankful for. Such a result would trigger three-inch headlines in other countries, while in Germany, the public is hardly aware about this excellent position. But statistics and rankings aside, I do believe that we are moving in the right direction. We have established a homogeneous playing philosophy for all the teams, starting with the under 16-year olds. Every DFB-team travels with a professional support staff. Winning the U 19 European Championships meant validation of our efforts. Our women, no matter which age bracket you look at, continue to play in the world elite, which is comforting reassurance as we progress towards the 2011 World Cup here in Germany.

DFB.de: Please give us your view on the structures of talent development in German foootball?

Niersbach: There are no more excuses. If a young kid does not reach his or her limit, you cannot blame it on a lack of sponsorship and facilitation, or on insufficient coaching or on mediocre medical treatment. Without being complacent, we can concur that we reached the limit of what can be done. Each national team charters progress with an extensive video analysis system. An assistant coach and a goalkeepers coach attends to the players’ needs. They all have a fitness expert on the staff, several trainers, an orthopedist, an internist and a coach focusing on the team’s mental toughness. But make no mistake, games are still decided by the players on the pitch.

DFB.de: During the first year as the DFB General Secretary, you have authorized the extension of the vocational training for coaches at the Hennes-Weisweiler-Academy in Cologne. Anybody interested in coaching a Bundesliga team, now needs 11 instead of months to complete the course.

Niersbach: Let’s be honest about it – for a while, anybody signing in for the Cologne seminars walked out with a licence. Well, that has changed. Some of our former players have a hard time comprehending that their experiences on the pitch do not suffice as qualification. Coaching football is a vocation of it’s own. Other European countries came to this realization some time ago. For a while, we were inconsistent in that specific area. Now, our coaching education has matured into an European level, and corresponds to the demands of UEFA.

DFB.de: The most important achievements for the DFB in 2008 - please give us your list.

Niersbach: Most certainly the introduction and opening season of the 3. League as well as the new television contract, which we managed to negotiate and sign within months. It serves as a sound basis for the DFB, financially and strategically. The multitude of topics connected to our game still amazes me. Think about our social responsibilities including our foundations, marketing and sponsorship issues, our ongoing effort to minimize fan-violence, dealing with criticism of our referees, the war on doping, and really many, many other issues, which the regular fan never thinks about while enjoying the game. And he or she should not have to think about it. But if you leave these issues uncovered for a while, it will create severe problems, which then effect the 90 minutes on the field as well.

DFB.de: In what areas did the DFB come up short of your expectations in 2008?

Niersbach: We should reach higher fan approval ratings for the 3. Liga, which we introduced as an exciting nationwide 3rd level in competitive football. Part of the problem are attendance figures at home games for the 2nd teams of Bundesliga clubs, as for instance Werder Bremen II. Teams with a proud tradition, let’s say Waldhof Mannheim, are a better draw, even though they have dropped to the 5th league.

DFB.de: What are your main goals for the upcoming year?

Niersbach: The best laid-out plans will mean very little, if our flagship, the men’s team under coach Joachim Löw, strays off course. The qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is our primary goal for next year. Russia have proven what they are capable off, so we will face an extremely challenging task.

DFB.de: What else is on your ‘to-do-list’ for 2009?

Niersbach: Starting this summer, televised football appears in a modified format. The broadcast landscape will slightly change, and we certainly support that development. Parts of amateur football have reacted antagonistic to new kickoff times. We respect their criticism, but at the same time, we have to point out that funds for our regional associations and money beneficial for the amateur game overall are earned by the top leagues in Germany. Don’t ignore or overlook the shared interest between elite and grassroots. In 2009, we will negotiate and extend the contractual framework with the German Football League Association.

DFB.de: Once again, the DFB stages a World Cup. How do you rate the cooperation with FIFA as you prepare for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup? How does this process compare to 2006?

Niersbach: With more than two years to go before the opening game, we have assembled an effective Organising Committee. There are certainly major obstacles, just think off the ticketing and the finances for a global women’s tournament. FIFA’s focus right now has to be on South Africa. Sometimes things take a bit longer than I had estimated. Overall though, we have an incredibly trusting relationship to FIFA – which is also true for our operations with UEFA and, on a national level, with the GFL.

DFB.de: What can you do facing the global financial crisis?

Niersbach: First of all, we keep a close eye on the developments. I am grateful for our privileged economic status, thanks also to keystone contracts signed and sealed within the last year. Even the slightest trace of complacency would be a fatal mistake. Our partners, our sponsors and our suppliers feel the effects of the recession, so you know that the financial crisis will affect us all. We remain on high-alert, this is not the time to be smug or even self-content.

DFB.de: The German national Olympic Committee, the DOSB, is forced to raise the fee for their 22 million members, while the German Swimming Association worries about downgrades for their elite athletes. Meanwhile, the DFB seems hardly touched by the current turmoil in the sporting scene.

Niersbach: There is some truth to that. We are on an island with the water rising all around us. We are prepared for the current situation because of our rather conservative financial strategy over the years. This year, we invested 25 million Euros and built 1,000 mini-pitches throughout Germany. But there are no guarantees. We are well-aware of the DOSB-situation. We have excellent relations to DOSB-President Dr. Thomas Bach and General Secretary Michael Vesper. We support their appeal to raise the membership fees.

DFB.de: The DFB has many exemplary socio-political programs. Considering the enormous costs, can you mantain these standards?

Wolfgang Niersbach

Niersbach: The football elite led by our men’s national team, our amateur base with more than 26,000 organised football clubs and our social responsibilities - the DFB rests on these three pillars. (Former DFB-President) Egidius Braun initiated our social involvement, while today’s DFB-President Dr. Theo Zwanziger, who interprets his mandate in a rather political way, has done a marvelous job in strengthening this third pillar. His efforts have received the highest public acclaim. He never ceases to remind everybody that our beautiful game has to be guided by moral values, and that our many social responsibilities are a vital inseperable part of the DFB. We won’t allow any deletions or even cutbacks here.

DFB.de: Now, if somebody had told you five years ago, that you be in charge of 220 employees...

Niersbach: ...I would have laughed out loud. But today we are actively involved in so many new arenas: marketing and internet, in the leisure-variations of the game, in fostering women’s and girls’ football, and our social and charity programs. Obviously, you have to staff these programs. It is very much comparable to the theatre or to a TV show - much work is done backstage.

DFB.de: How would you describe the leadership qualities of the former journalist Wolfgang Niersbach?

Niersbach: Because of my journalistic past, communication comes easy. Throughout my career, I have been nothing but a team player, which I try to preserve even today in the role of the General Secretary. I’d rather moderate the dialogue. I don’t believe in the merit of polarising. The calendar of a General Secretary does not allow for regular individual meetings with every DFB associate, but still I try to cultivate consensus among our ranks.

DFB.de: And what does the general public think about Germany’s football association?

Niersbach: Reliable, respectable and sincere – I think, most of our partners would choose these three adjectives to describe the DFB. Finding the right formula for respectability and professionalism and flexibility - that is our daily task. For others, the picture of one of these supertankers or a huge ocean liner seems fitting. There is a grain of truth in that, but when the situation asks for it, this DFB can move very quickly. Most of all, you can count and depend on this DFB. Nobody personifies this better than our President, Dr. Theo Zwanziger. At the start of the new year, the DFB faces a promising future as a modern, very competitive and social-minded organisation.