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The German Football Association (DFB) and the DFB Foundation Egidius Braun mourn Dr. h.c. Egidius Braun. The 97-year-old passed away last night in his hometown of Aachen. Braun was DFB president from October 1992 to April 2001 and before that treasurer of the association from 1977. After retiring from the presidency for health reasons, Braun was appointed DFB honorary president. In addition, the DFB Foundation Egidius Braun was set up in his honor in July 2001. Egidius Braun was chairman of the board of trustees until his death.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said: “Today is a sad day for all footballers in Germany and Europe. With Egidius Braun we are losing a special person who used the opportunities offered by football to help those who need support and attention . He was particularly concerned about children and young people in need”. Neuendorf, who as DFB President is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DFB Egidius Braun Foundation, continues: “Egidius Braun has social commitment firmly anchored in the DNA and the statutes of our association. It is and remains his merit that the DFB I have been involved in a variety of social programs for decades, in particular with the DFB Foundation dedicated to Egidius Braun, which, among other things, has been supporting aid projects in the Ukraine since 2001. I am proud, with my mandate and my roots in the Mittelrhein Football Association, to be in to stand by his tradition.”
The designated DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich explains: “All of us at DFB eV, its subsidiaries and foundations are in mourning. As an expression of gratitude and respect, we will suggest that there is a minute’s silence before all football matches in Germany next weekend. In this way, Germany bows to a great president in the history of our association, to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude.”
The successful entrepreneur Braun devoted himself to various honorary posts in football early on. He succeeded his father as chairman of SV Breinig, later chairman of the Aachen football club and president of the Middle Rhine Football Association. From 1977 he worked as DFB treasurer and after the death of Hermann Neuberger on October 24, 1992 he was elected eighth president of the German Football Association. Braun resigned from this post on April 28, 2001 for health reasons. The delegates of the DFB Bundestag appointed him DFB honorary president on the same day.
A particular focus of his nine-year term of office was on social and societal commitment. As early as the summer of 1986, Braun campaigned for the founding of the Mexico-Hilfe, which still exists today. With various initiatives, such as “My friend is a foreigner” and “No power to drugs”, he set far-sighted and important socio-political accents and initiated the inclusion of social commitment as the third pillar in the DFB statutes. Braun established the cooperation with the children’s mission organization “Die Sternsinger” and campaigned for the regular implementation of the charity international match.
In addition to his functions in the DFB, Egidius Braun was also active at international level. Among other things, he was a member of the UEFA Executive Committee for twelve years and UEFA Vice-President from 1992 to 2000. From 1996 to 2000, Egidius Braun was responsible for the finances of the European football union as treasurer, which made him an honorary member after his departure.
In recognition of his services to football, Egidius Braun was honored with numerous national and international awards. Among other things, he was the bearer of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany with star and sash, the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Grand Officer’s Cross of the Luxembourg Order of Merit, the Golden Ring of Honor of the City of Aachen and the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest order of merit awarded by FIFA Award.
In February 2012, Egidius Braun received the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest order of merit awarded to foreigners in Mexico. His home town of Stolberg honored him in the summer of 2015 with the “Egidius-Braun-Straße” in Breinig, just a few meters from the SV Breinig sports grounds. The National Sports Academy in Sofia (Bulgaria) awarded Egidius Braun an honorary doctorate in April 1997. The Middle Rhine Football Association regularly awards the Egidius Braun Prize in his honor.
DFB Vice-President Ralph-Uwe Schaffert, the designated Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DFB Egidius Braun Foundation, emphasizes: “Egidius Braun has rendered the greatest services to football in Germany and Europe. He was never an aloof functionary, but always the people We bow to Egidius Braun and his life’s work with deepest gratitude and the greatest respect. It is our job and our obligation to continue living his legacy in our foundation – football was, is and will always be more than a 1-0!”
DFB Treasurer Stephan Grunwald, who is also responsible for the finances of the DFB foundations, explains: “As DFB Treasurer, Egidius Braun was responsible for the finances of our association for a total of 15 years and in this role has set standards for responsible management as well as responsible association action, which always are still the basis of our actions.”
The long-time foundation treasurer Dr. Stephan Osnabrügge, who was personally connected to Egidius Braun, adds: “Egidius Braun led the DFB successfully for a long time as president. In many personal encounters I felt a great deal of trust in the work of the association, but also in myself personally. Football is losing with Egidius Braun one of his most deserving personalities. I myself am losing a committed companion and adviser.”
