Election of the IIHF President: "Check from behind"

Franz Reindl smiled, Reindl congratulated politely, but when he went to the lectern again in the early afternoon, it was clear to the 66-year-old that he had imagined differently this Saturday in Saint Petersburg.

It should actually be the culmination of a professional life that Reindl has spent in ice hockey for decades.

As a player, trainer and multifunctional, as World Cup organizer and President of the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB).

For Reindl things always went uphill, right up to the Council of the World Association IIHF, the powerful management body.

Now he wanted to get to the top at the IIHF Congress in western Russia, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen native had come as a favorite to succeed the decades-long President René Fasel.

But his "Big Game", as Reindl had previously called the election, he lost.

And clearly.

With 39:67 votes he was defeated by the French Luc Tardif.

And even the election of Vice President as representative for Europe and Africa he lost to the Dane Henrik Bach Nielsen.

Only at the end of the hour-long election congress was there a consolation prize, and Reindl was reappointed to the council.

The darkest days of Reindl's career

"I warmly congratulate Luc Tardif on being elected as the new IIHF President and I look forward to a good, successful cooperation", Reindl was quoted afterwards in a message from the DEB. Whereby joy might not have been the predominant emotion. The last few days were among the darkest in Reindl's long career. On Friday the news magazine

reported that the ethics committee of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is examining the "Reindl case".

The DEB president, who is honorary according to the statutes, was the paid managing director of a subsidiary for many years.

Representatives from three regional associations had already asked internal questions at the beginning of June and demanded the disclosure of contracts and balance sheets.

Reindl always rejected a "conflict of interest".

But in the course of the months another national association moved away from him, demanding clarification.

Reindl complains bitterly

Reindl is certain that the

coverage on Friday influenced the elections in Saint Petersburg. This was "drafted in a tendentious manner and probably - as was already the case at the beginning of June - consciously launched," he told the sports information service. In addition, a regional association wrote an "accompanying, incredibly denouncing letter" that was sent to the IIHF Council, but not to himself, said Reindl, who looked struck. Because in his opinion he did not fail because of the competition, of all things the homeland screwed up the last step on the career ladder for him. He spoke of "prohibited checks from behind".

At home there is now a dispute about the direction. Reindl had already announced in 2020 that, regardless of the outcome of the IIHF election in 2022, he would not run again as DEB President, he recently repeated that. Vice President Berthold Wipfler, responsible for finances and young talent, will then also leave. And who knows what will happen to Toni Söderholm? The contract with the successful national coach expires after the 2022 World Cup.

A lot will happen in the DEB in terms of personnel. The big question: Will the Reindl camp prevail with the new appointments, or is the influence of the previously vocal but still manageable opposition growing? After his end at the DEB, Reindl himself will have to deal with international issues. He will sit on the IIHF Council until 2026. And that will deal with the relationship with the elite leagues NHL (North America) and KHL (Eastern Europe), above all with Asia, where ice hockey has a shadowy existence.

Aivaz Omorkanov, the new Vice President for Asia, delivered a damning verdict in his application speech: "The list of goals that have not been met is long," said the Kazakh, listing various misconducts.

Further training courses have been stopped, the strategy group has not met for a long time, and the biggest mistake: The Asia office has been moved back to the IIHF headquarters in Zurich - although the Olympic Games will take place in Beijing in 2022.

So the task at hand is complicated.

Also for Reindl.

National and international.