The three former presidents of the German Football Association (DFB) Fritz Keller, Reinhard Grindel and Theo Zwanziger have joined forces in a joint action against the current DFB interim president Rainer Koch.

In a joint statement, which was also sent to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the three former presidents are campaigning for a new start without the long-time amateur representative Koch.

Michael Horini

Football correspondent Europe in Berlin.

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"Based on our many years of experience, we appeal to the delegates of the DFB Bundestag: End the Koch system and ensure a real new start in the DFB.

The prerequisite for this is that all delegates can decide on the future of the DFB in secret elections and without pressure.

On Friday, the longstanding chairman of the supervisory board of the German Football League (DFL), Peter Peters, and the president of the Mittelrhein Association, Bernd Neuendorf, will be up for election at the DFB Bundestag in Bonn.

Neuendorf was nominated by the amateur representatives as a presidential candidate.

In view of the majority, he is going into the race as the clear favourite.

Koch is considered a key figure in this move.

The long-standing first DFB vice president is currently leading the association on an interim basis with Hans-Joachim Watzke, the new DFL supervisory board chairman.

Koch also sits on the executive committee of the European Football Union and is aiming for a seat on the DFB executive committee in the elections on Friday.

So far, Neuendorf sees no need to distance himself from Koch.

Peters rules out working with Koch.

The sharpest criticism of Koch is Keller, who had to resign from his post last spring after violent arguments.

He had identified Koch, formerly the presiding judge at the Higher Regional Court in Munich, with the chairman of the People's Court (Freisler).

"We don't need any enemy images between amateurs and professionals, as Rainer Koch paints on the wall again and again. They are wrong and prevent a constructive cooperation.

My experience is: Koch is a crackpot, he thrives on intrigue.

His system is that of conjuring up false enemy images, of exerting pressure.

I'm sure the delegates know what I'm talking about from their own experience," said Keller.

"I also found Rainer Koch's way of dealing with the old DFB ethics committee to be shameful.

Koch responded to the President's statement in a statement on Monday: "The statements - especially by Reinhard Grindel and Fritz Keller - are absurd.

These are sweeping, defamatory statements without any facts or substance.” Again and again, according to Koch, he was “targeted with maliciously spread falsehoods”.

With regard to his election to the presidency, he was "very confident".

The southern German regional association proposed him for election without a dissenting vote.