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German football has lost an influential figure. Failing to fight an old illness, 59-year-old Vice President of the German Football Association (DFB), President of the German Football League, and member of the UEFA Football Committee Werner Hackmann has passed away.
Hackmann died on Sunday evening at his home in Hamburg, losing the battle to cancer and leaving behind his wife and two children.
W. Hackmann was a Hamburg city politician, serving as president of the "Hamburger" club from 1999 to 2002. In 2000, he became a DFB vice president, and since last summer, a member of the UEFA Football Committee. Hackmann attended the UEFA Congress meeting last Friday in Dusseldorf, where Michel Platini was elected as the new president of European football.
"I am shocked and devastated," said DFB President Theo Zwanziger. "German football has lost a significant, dedicated individual. Werner Hackmann was passionate about the interests of the Bundesliga and represented them excellently. The news of his death surprised me greatly, as I had just met him at the UEFA meeting last week. My condolences go out to Werner's wife Ulla and his entire family."
