German FA boss eyes FIFA top job
German FA (DFB) chief Wolfgang Niersbach will run for membership at world soccer governing body Fifa's executive committee next year to replace outgoing European member Theo Zwanziger.
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Niersbach, who has been critical of both FIFA's handling of a report on corruption for the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup as well as picking Qatar for 2022, said yesterday that Germany should keep its voice in the powerful decision-making body.
German football officials, including Niersbach and German league (DFL) chief Reinhard Rauball, have been vocal critics of FIFA's decision to award the 2022 tournament to the tiny Gulf state.
Desert temperatures make it far from ideal for the world's top soccer tournament while labour conditions of immigrant workers are also an issue, they said.
Niersbach only days ago proposed moving the 2022 tournament to the winter of 2023 so as not to clash with the winter Olympics and have cooler temperatures.
"I run for this post because I want to support European positions and I am convinced that German football should not lose its voice in the biggest decision making bodies", Niersbach said in a DFB statement yesterday.
—Reuters