Zimmermann wobbles: Showdown at the South German Football Association in Augsburg

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Zimmermann wobbles: Showdown at the South German Football Association in Augsburg.

Showdown in the Atrium of the Chamber of Crafts

In the "Atrium" of the Augsburg Chamber of Crafts for Swabia, a contested vote will take place for the leadership of the South German Football Association: Incumbent Ronald "Ronny" Zimmermann (65), DFB vice president for 13 years and once a feared center forward for VfB Wiesloch, is facing off against Reinhold Brandt (63) from South Baden — a challenger previously unknown beyond the region.

What this means for you: If you play, coach, or volunteer at a club in the south, this is no marginal issue. Whoever sits at the top helps decide how DFB funds flow and how the Regionalligen will be reformed.

Why nobody can predict the outcome

The math seems clear at first glance. If you tally only the five regional associations, Bavaria (45 votes) and South Baden with Brandt (7) are ahead — a combined 52 votes against Württemberg (18), Hesse (21), and Zimmermann's own Baden (7), totaling 46 votes.

But: 34 additional votes are distributed by clubs — including Eintracht Frankfurt and Darmstadt 98, who declined to comment on their voting behavior when asked. Add to that 13 votes from the executive boards of the South German association. Nobody knows how these blocs will sort themselves on election day.

Bavaria calls the tune — not Brandt

The real opposition is coming not from South Baden but from Munich. According to an internal Teams channel, 43-year-old Christoph Kern, president of Bavaria — the largest regional association by membership — has clearly positioned himself against Zimmermann. His accusation: The incumbent pays too little attention to amateur concerns — even though, according to the bylaws, that's exactly why he's supposed to sit on the DFB executive board.

In fact, Zimmermann is closely tied to DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and, as permanent delegation leader, also to the U21 national team — so closely that in the Regionalligen Bayern and Südwest (featuring Kickers Offenbach and FSV Frankfurt), expectations are that he will oppose Neuendorf's Regionalliga reform. An extraordinary DFB Bundestag on December 18 will decide on this reform — outcome uncertain.

The tone turns rougher

The battle lines have hardened. In late September, "nasty emails" were sent to the South Baden association: Brandt is accused of not communicating his candidacy transparently. From Württemberg and Baden comes word that such conduct "has not" happened before — Zimmermann would be "weakening DFB amateurs in his capacity as 1st Vice President." South Baden pushes back, calling the accusations "completely unacceptable": conversations had already taken place with Zimmermann in early August, and with counterparts at the other regional associations in early September. Brandt himself declined to comment when asked.

Hesse gives Zimmermann a small bonus — but stays tight-lipped

The Hessian Football Association, under president Silke Sinning, had both sides' programs presented digitally on Monday evening. Sinning has served alongside Zimmermann on the DFB executive board for four years and says: "On the DFB executive board, we have driven forward important issues for amateur football together in recent years. I view this development positively. Such cooperation is something we can build on." A points win for Zimmermann.

But Sinning simultaneously emphasizes that her Hessian colleagues are free in their decision. Whether all 21 votes from Hesse go to Zimmermann remains open.

What Zimmermann counters — and what he faces

In Augsburg, a self-critical campaign speech is expected from the incumbent. When asked, he strikes a contrite tone: "I should have sought dialogue with the regional associations earlier — that needs to be corrected." Going forward, "every regional association should be able to rely on its concerns being heard by me."

He can point to one concrete figure: the DFB's amateur football budget has grown by roughly 50 percent over the past four years.

If he still loses, three years as a "lame duck" await him — without a top post in the south, but still in his DFB vice-presidential role. Either way, this delegates' meeting will be no quiet date in German football.

Source: Frankfurter Rundschau, Jan Christian Müller (Oct 14, 2026, 5:59 PM)