Without dissenting vote
DFB withdraws honorary membership from former Chancellor Schröder
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD)
© Kay Nietfeld / DPA
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is deprived of his honorary membership in the German Football Association (DFB). The decision was made unanimously.
The German Football Association has withdrawn honorary membership from former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The decision was made by the DFB Bundestag on Friday in Bonn without a dissenting vote.
Schröder, 77, has been under a lot of pressure since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine – the former chancellor has not yet condemned the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is still holding on to his posts in Russian state-owned companies. It was recently announced that Schröder had traveled to Moscow for talks with Putin regarding the war.
Former Chancellor Schröder under criticism
Schröder has long been friends with Putin. The former chancellor works as a lobbyist for the natural gas pipeline companies Nord Stream 1 and 2 and is chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft.
The SPD leadership has already sent an ultimatum to Schröder to resign his mandate. A “prompt” answer is expected, party leader Lars Klingbeil said a week ago. So far, such an answer from Schröder is not known. A local SPD association has already applied for Schröder’s party expulsion.