Overview

• Hellmann described Watzke as more than presidium speaker and called him a “stroke of luck” for German football’s leadership.
• Watzke plans to step away from Borussia Dortmund’s day-to-day operations by the end of the year while weighing a run for club president under a newly approved hybrid voting model.
• Thirty-six DFL shareholder clubs will vote at the early-September General Assembly in Berlin to elect the presidium speaker, with Watzke seeking another term.
• Incumbent Borussia Dortmund president Reinhold Lunow has declared his intention to run for re-election in November, setting up a possible contest with Watzke.
• Support from Eintracht Frankfurt’s Axel Hellmann and recent governance reforms aim to broaden club participation and consolidate influential representation in league leadership.