German football mourns the passing of Doris Fitschen
| Doris Fitschen | Simon Hofmann/Getty Images for DFB |
On Saturday, Doris Fitschen passed away at the age of 56. Whether it’s about her playing career, coaching adventure, or leadership roles, her career in women’s football has been full of success for decades.
Fitschen represented Germany 144 times as a player between 1986 and 2001. At the young age of 21, she was part of the 1989 European Championships success when Die Nationalelf won their first international title. She was also selected as the Golden Player of the tournament.
Fitschen followed it up with four more European Championship wins with the last coming in 2001 just before hanging up her boots. Following her retirement, UEFA awarded Fitschen a special achievement award. In club football, she was a four-time German champion with TSV Siegen and 1. FFC Frankfurt. She also won the DFB Pokal on four different occasions.
After her playing career, she was the manager of the women’s national team between 2009 to 2016, masterminding two European Championships and a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics. Until her most recent role as a DFB coordinator, Fitschen continued her support of women’s football in different capacities before her unfortunate passing.
Several German football leaders expressed their deep sorrow after the news. “We played through so many games and tournaments together and shared so many experiences,” said DFB General Secretary Heike Ulrich. “We were often able to celebrate successes together, laughed together, and also shared despair, excitement, and disappointment.
“We will not forget Doris and will continue her heartfelt project, Women in Football and Women's Football, in her spirit. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.”
“I admired Doris for many things, including how she dealt with her illness,” said DFB Vice President for Women's and Girls' Football Sabine Mammitzsch. “She never let herself be defeated and continued to champion the causes and the people who were important to her.
“Doris is one of those people who cannot be replaced, not professionally and certainly not personally. Her career and her fate are now an incentive and obligation for me and for us to continue in her spirit and to support women's football with all our conviction and strength.”
“Doris is one of the defining figures in German football,” said Bernd Neuendorf, DFB President. “As a player, she was a leader and strategist. She had presence, dominance, and aura that others could look up to.
“That's also how I experienced her at the DFB, in her impressive second career. Here, too, she led the way, while at the same time, as a team player, she took everyone along with her and advocated and argued for the interests of women's football with vehemence, competence, and great empathy."
