German football mourns.
Ex-DFB President Egidius Braun has died at the age of 97.
Braun was President of the largest sports association in the world from 1992 to 2001. He was then appointed Honorary President. Before that he had been Treasurer of the DFB since 1977.
Braun had also been active in Uefa and Fifa for a long time. Among other things, he was a member of the UEFA European Championship organizing committee for twenty years (1980 to 2000). He was also Vice President of Uefa from 1992 to 2000.
The newly elected DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (60) on the DFB website: “Today is a sad day for all footballers in Germany and Europe. With Egidius Braun we are losing a special person who used the possibilities of football to help those who need support and attention. He was particularly driven by concern for children and young people in need.”
The new DFB General Secretary Heike Ullrich (48) also commented on the death, writing: “All of us in the DFB eV, its subsidiaries and foundations are mourning. As an expression of gratitude and respect, we will suggest that there be a minute’s silence before all football games in Germany this coming weekend. In this way, football Germany bows to a great president in the history of our association, to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude.”
As DFB treasurer and head of delegation, the ex-DFB president played a key role in founding Mexico Aid, which was set up during the 1986 World Cup as a social aid organization for children and young people in need. The initiative is still a focus of the DFB Egidius Braun Foundation, which has existed since 2001.
With various initiatives, such as “My friend is a foreigner” and “No power to drugs”, he set important socio-political accents and initiated the inclusion of social commitment as the third pillar in the DFB statutes. Braun established the cooperation with the children’s mission organization “Die Sternsinger” and campaigned for the regular implementation of the charity international match.
As a result, the ex-DFB president not only received recognition in society, but also the Federal Cross of Merit, the Fifa Order of Merit and the Order of Merit of the City of Berlin.