The long-time football coach and our patron Rudi Gutendorf passed away peacefully at the age of 93.

With more than 50 coaching stations in over 30 countries, Rudi Gutendorf has secured himself a place in the Guinness Book of Records. “All my life I’ve done nothing but football. This has become my profession, and I love this job,” Gutendorf once said.

He worked in Europe, America, Africa, Oceania and Asia and was awarded two Federal Crosses of Merit for his services. Gutendorf was also honoured on 5 May 2014 at the Federal Foreign Office, by the then Foreign Minister and current Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Football Ambassador in Berlin for his life’s work as German Ambassador of Football.

With nicknames such as “Riegel-Rudi” or “Rudi Rastlos” he also became world famous.

Rudi Gutendorf accompanied the German Football Ambassador in particular as a heart project from the very beginning, always with a smile on his face or a joke on his lips.

“We are proud and consider it a great honour to have had this very special person and pioneer of the German football ambassador as patron of our non-profit association with us over the last few years,” said Roland Bischof, initiator of the association.

Rudi Gutendorf was a man whose understanding of the world represented a world without borders; a world of football as the ultimate connection between people of different cultures. A world of bringing together.

We would like to say thank you.

Thank you for great conversations! Thank you for your commitment into old age. Thank you for beeing an inspiring and lasting companion.

We commemorate a friend and wish his family a lot of strength.