Zwanziger as a critical journalists bypasses

Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Association (DFB), has in the past three months, two defeats insert them. There were no sporting defeats, but legal. The pain very much. The head of the German football clubs - more precisely, his association - then, as stated in the language of football is vigorously nachgetreten. Thus, he missed a virtue in the sport always a top priority should be: fair play.


For Zwanziger, the approach probably will soon have a post game. And that could again in a legal defeat lead. Should it indeed come to be the single largest and richest sports association in the world blamiert vigorously. But after the series.

In July, the sports journalist Jens Weinreich Internet blog Direct free kick (www.direkter-freistoss.de) Zwanziger an "incredible demagogues" mentioned. The designation was extremely polemic, but not unfounded. It was a reaction to utterances-twenties, which the Federal Cartel Office for its role in the television rights-marketing of the German Football League had sharply attacked.

Request rejected

The DFB boss in any event felt denigrated - and wanted Weinreich, formerly head of sport "Berliner Zeitung" and author of critical books about the World Football Federation and the International Olympic Committee, which prohibit expression. But since the Berlin played with. In September it rejected the application for an injunction and ruled the legal personality of the DFB president will be through the presentation, he was an "incredible demagogue" is not violated. Rather, it is a permissible expression, "not the abusive nature." The Berlin Court confirmed the decision, and the blogger community was satisfied: "DFB court teaches what about freedom of expression."

Now would twenties, he would have been wise advise, should pause. But the sports functionary, the aura of a sympathetic uncle surrounds the heated conflict, which the public until then hardly noticed something had to violently.

Hot heart instead of cool head: Zwanziger felt deeply hurt and obviously in the wrong corner. On Wednesday he goes on at the Jewish Museum of the Julius Hirsch prize, he was the first reclamation of the DFB's role in the Nazi period on the way and gets in two weeks, Hans-Jochen Vogel-Prize "to Remember ". Against this background, he is not wanted by somebody, who do not know, in a blog as "incredible demagogues" to describe. He urged Weinreich ultimate, which in his view denigrate choice of words back. Otherwise he will plea in the main submit. And in Koblenz. There was even once Zwanziger at the Administrative Court judges. A demagogue, which show a look in the dictionary, is a hatred. That he can not sit on that: "This is according to Section 130 of the Penal Code, a criminal act, punishable with the threat."

It will probably go to court

The blogger was on the scene threatening renewed outraged. The media journalist Stefan Niggemeier (www.stefan-niggemeier.de) Zwanziger called a "shooting Duden figure" because it Duden dictionaries and many synonyms for "demagogue" (roughly "agitator", "agitators" or "provocateur") indicates that the concept "Hatred" but rather rare to find. Weinreich, a journalistic Thick, listed in his blog (www.jensweinreich.de) the names of 67 prominent personalities equal to that in the media ever as "demagogues" had been called. These include, according to the list of politicians Christoph Blocher ( "Time"), Evita Peron ( "The WORLD") and Hans-Christian Ströbele ( "The Mirror").

On Friday withdrew the DFB in the evening hours, the emergency brake. By press release he said the dispute between Zwanziger and Weinreich "closed". But this can not be said. Because exposure with the headline: "DFB disapproves of defamation by Dr Theo Zwanziger" presents wine empire from the perspective of a step, which is his reputation and threatens its existence. His lawyer Ulrich Amelung speaks of "distortions and false allegations" that you can not offer: "We are examining all legal options to the revocation."
Keywords

* Frankfurt
* Theo Zwanziger
* DFB President
* Dispute
* Jens Weinreich

The DFB claimed in the statement, Weinreich had apologized and admitted wrongdoing. This was done in a letter his lawyer of 11 November 2008. Quite apart from the fact that the corresponding letter to another date bears can be no excuse for his speech. Literally says the DFB to the lawyer facing Letter: "If your client the blog of my clients carefully reads - what he apparently does - he should have noticed that my client from the outset has made it clear that the interpretation" demagogue " in which your client disputed meaning of his side can neither comprehend nor was intended. "

The DFB wants to comment on the allegations not comment. "We are giving the press more than any other opinion," said spokesman Harald Stenger. One sees probably be back soon in court.