Siegfried Dietrich has retired from Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG at his own request and with immediate effect. The 65-year-old, who will also step down as general agent on 31 December 2022, has taken the decision on medical grounds and will relinquish his role as Eintracht Women’s sporting director. His duties will be taken over temporarily by Niko Arnautis and distributed within the organisation on a subject-related basis.
Siegfried Dietrich: “A reminder of my recent health situation”
“Having been involved in women’s football for exactly 30 years this summer and having been able to experience a great deal and affect a lot of change in the German and European game – from SG Praunheim to 1. FFC Frankfurt and the landmark merger with Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as various roles at the DFB – my four-month sabbatical in 2021 and the challenges that lie ahead in Eintracht Frankfurt’s women’s department have often led me to ponder how we can achieve a broader and more future-oriented setup around my present roles at the earliest opportunity,” Dietrich explained. “These thoughts are linked to the fact that since the end of last season and the activities surrounding the European Championship, the DFB and an intense pre-season, I’m once again getting increased signals from my body which remind me of my health situation one and a half years ago. In that regard, it’s impossible for me to put 100 per cent into my wide-ranging tasks. That’s why it’s necessary for me to retire from my duties with Eintracht Frankfurt and my honorary positions at the DFB with immediate effect. I’ve asked the Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG board to terminate my contract, which actually runs until June 2023, at the end of the year. After everything we’ve achieved together already and with the long-term opportunities afforded by Eintracht Frankfurt, the Eagles Women are on an incredibly strong path to a successful future. I wish our great team, head coach Niko Arnautis, our colleagues and our board of directors the very best in achieving their future goals.”
The best way I can see of avoiding going through what happened in 2021 all over again and to have a real chance of getting back on track as regards my health is to step back completely now and take some significant time off.
Siegfried Dietrich
Axel Hellmann: “Women’s football successes closely tied to Siegfried Dietrich”
Axel Hellmann, Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG CEO, added: “The successes of women’s football in Frankfurt are closely tied to Siegfried Dietrich’s name. His life’s work deserves the utmost respect and recognition. This also applies to the difficult decision to retire now after all these years of unwavering commitment and personal sacrifice. Over the past four years, we’ve come to regard Siggi Dietrich as a restless and reliable mover and shaker who, with an immense workload and great effort, has done all he can to continue to provide women’s football in Frankfurt with a professional, future-oriented home. He made a great contribution to the merger with Eintracht Frankfurt. Without his determination and conviction, the merger and the associated development of women’s football in Frankfurt would not have been possible.”
