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FC fans (when they were still allowed into the stadium)
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
After protests from numerous fans, 1. FC Köln will forego working with a new "Head of Media and Communication" selected initially.
The Bundesliga club announced this on Wednesday.
"Mistakes were made in the selection process," said club president Werner Wolf and managing director Alexander Wehrle, according to a joint statement.
“Since it was published, we have received allegations that we should have examined beforehand.
We will draw conclusions from this. "
The FC had announced the change on Monday, the new head of communications should take over on May 1st.
Afterwards, numerous critics spoke up on social media, including celebrities such as SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans.
The criticism had related to older entries by the designated head of communications on Twitter, it was mainly about a tweet in which he commented on a statement by AfD politician Baumann.
Wolf and Wehrle said they had got to know the new employee as "an honest person with a democratic set of values."
Nevertheless, after an intensive exchange, it was decided to forego cooperation.
"In the past few days, I was falsely insulted in social networks as a Nazi and AfD sympathizer and insulted in some forums in the worst possible way," said the journalist, who last worked for a logistics company, according to the FC statement.
“This led to a debate about my person.
However, a good communicator should never be the focus.
He thinks it is right not to take up the position.
»One thing I would like to make clear, however: I stand behind every letter of the FC Charter as well as the liberal basic order of our democracy and I reject extreme and extremist parties of any kind.
Anyone who knows me can have no doubt about it, ”he said.
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aha / dpa / sid