Germany Plans For More Dominance In Football Future

The German football federation revealed plans on Tuesday to bring the European Championships to Germany for the first time since 1988, also stating its commitment to building an 89 million euro academy in Frankfurt.



Hosting the 2024 European championships is the German Football Federation's (DFB) biggest aim of the next decade, the federation revealed at a meeting in Frankfurt on Tuesday.



"The most ambitious goal is definitely to bring the European Championships in 2024," said DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach in outlining the organization's vision for building on the World Cup-winning success of 2014. "That remains our largest, clearest goal."



World champion Germany has already hosted the World Cup in 1974 and 2006, as well as the European Championship in 1988, but the quality of club stadia now found in the Bundesliga means no large construction projects would be needed to host the tournament in ten years time.



"We're very optimistic because our situation is excellent regarding stadia. It's clear that for us there is no need for new constructions," said Niersbach.



Niersbach said he envisaged no clash between the bid for EURO 2024 and a German attempt to host the Olympics in the same year, in Berlin or Hamburg. European governing body UEFA will name the host country in 2018.



New football academy



The most controversial pillar of the DFB's ten-year plan is the construction of a new national football center in Frankfurt.



"It's the biggest investment in the DFB's history. We're totally behind the project because it represents the future," said Niersbach.



The DFB is confident that its preferred site at Frankfurt racecourse will be used but the 89 million euro academy is not without its detractors - a citizens' initiative against the project has already collected over 16,000 signatures.



"We don't want to build an empire," said national team manager Oliver Bierhoff. "We want to be football's experts."



"It's important to take the momentum from the World Cup victory and to create the structure for future success," added Bierhoff - who will be joining sporting director Hansi Flick on a US tour of youth academies next year. Construction is due to start in 2016, with the hope that the facility will open two years later.







Short-term objectives, also unveiled on Tuesday, include Germany winning a second European under-21 title next June and a third women's World Cup the same month, and qualifying for the Olympics after a 28-year absence.



DFB president sets sights on FIFA role



Meanwhile, Niersbach is hoping to succeed his DFB predecessor Theo Zwanziger as Europe's candidate on the FIFA executive committee when UEFA meets in May of next year. The 64-year-old says he wants to restore FIFA's image following claims of corruption over the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.



"We need an institution that stands for credibility, professionalism and integrity," said Niersbach in Frankfurt on Tuesday.



The DFB president and German league (DFL) chief Reinhard Rauball have both been vocal critics of FIFA's decision to award the 2022 tournament to the tiny Gulf state.



pwh/jh (AFP/Reuters/DPA)