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DFB President Fritz Keller does not resign despite the clear no-confidence vote of the amateur representatives.

The 64-year-old apologized on Friday and asked for forgiveness.

But he does not want to give up the leadership of the German Football Association voluntarily.

“I respect the vote of the conference of regional and state associations and take it very seriously.

I deeply regret my affect-laden derailment and ask for your forgiveness again, ”Keller was quoted in a DFB announcement that was published on the association's website at 1:20 pm.

Strangely enough, it was removed a little later, the report was no longer available for about an hour, but had long since been picked up by news agencies.

At 2:45 p.m. the text was online again.

The wording was identical.

So far, the DFB has not provided an explanation for this.

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"I will of course face the responsible sports court and, if necessary, the federal court, in an ongoing process that, according to the chairman, should be concluded in May," the statement said.

Keller stood up for more transparency in the DFB and its committees.

“The existing organizational challenges of the DFB and the urgent questions about the internal structure and cooperation in the DFB leadership must now be approached openly.

The public demands that urgent questions be dealt with and clarified.

I will not avoid the upcoming discussions, ”said Keller.

The case lies with the DFB sports court

It is important to him to "personally prepare the way for the DFB to be run with the integrity and transparency that football deserves and that is necessary to develop its full social strength again."

The presidents of the state and regional associations in the DFB had withdrawn their trust in Keller.

After a Nazi settlement in a meeting of the presidium in the past few days, Keller had found it difficult to explain.

The ethics committee discussed Keller's Nazi settlement and presented the result to the DFB sports court for a decision on Monday.

General Secretary Friedrich Curtius had also been withdrawn from trust.

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At a meeting of the presidium, Keller had referred to Koch as "Freisler" and compared him with Roland Freisler, the chairman of the People's Court under National Socialism.

Keller then apologized to Koch.

"Slap in the face for all sports fans"

The incident is now drawing high political circles.

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer became clear on Friday.

"It is time for the sports associations to end this pathetic spectacle," said the CSU politician of the dpa: "That is a slap in the face for all sports fans."

He could "only be amazed to see what is going on at the moment in the DFB," said Seehofer, whose ministry is responsible for promoting top-class German sport. For millions of people and also for himself, sport is an important topic, especially football, emphasized Seehofer. When he talked to Keller and Seifert last year about how one could play again in the Bundesliga despite the corona pandemic with a hygiene concept and without spectators, "there was absolutely no trace of jealousy, power games and skirmishes".