Union president slams rivals for lack of commitment to women's game
Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler pictured prior to the start of the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Union Berlin and VfB Stuttgart at An der Alten Foersterei. Andreas Gora/dpa
Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler has lambasted some of his rivals in German football for the treatment of their women's teams.
Zingler, whose women's team have just achieved promotion to the top flight while the men's team finished 13th in the Bundesliga, was appointed by the club's supervisory board on Monday for a further term until 2029.
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"When I see and hear that even in the women's Bundesliga with 12 teams, there are only four or five that pay women professionally, it's a pitiful indictment for Germany," the 60-year-old told reporters before making a controversial remark.
"It is simply not right to treat women's football like a sport for the disabled."
The Union board meanwhile is being expanded by two members to seven, with two women present for the first time in the club's history.
Zingler has been president of the east Berliners since 2004.
"One of the main reasons for our success is this stability," he said.
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