Fugmann, whose candidacy was supported by the board and put forward by the honorary council of the club, was the sole candidate and won with 634 of 661 votes (four opposing votes and 23 abstentions) from the club members who were eligible to vote.

In a 15 minute candidate’s speech, Fugmann spoke about one of his most important tasks in his future role, to “be in constant dialogue with the club members and implement their interests. Furthermore, I will be available to be contacted by the fans.”

Fugmann, who described himself as a firm believer in the 50+1 rule, has worked with the club in the area of “social engagement” on a voluntary basis and wants to continue supporting this area after starting his new role. “We will not forego our core beliefs in pursuit of short-term success – that’s the secret to our success in the long-term!”  said the 67-year-old.

The new club president continued, underlining that “an important field we need to develop is our support of women in professional football, as well as women’s and girl’s football in general.” Fugmann was unanimously nominated by the honorary council of SCF: “We are all of the opinion that he has the skills required to stay true to SC Freiburg’s core values,” explained the chairman of the honorary council, Rolf Ziegelbauer.

From 2006 to 2018, Fugmann, a graduate of German and English, was director of Freiburg’s Rotteck Grammar School. During this period, the “Rotteck” school became an elite sporting institution and a partner of the SCF Football School, whose matches Fugmann has attended since 1982. He has been a member of the club for over 30 years. As part of the Social Engagement campaign "Strengthen breadth. Promote excellence. Act responsibly", Fugmann recently worked on the acquisition of new team members for the club academy, the Freiburg Football School.

Photo: Stephan Eckenfels