Euskirchen football referee’s AfD membership triggers mass resignation of sports court

Noah Schmuck, a volunteer referee who also serves as the junior‑referee commissioner for the Euskirchen football district, is a member of the AfD and sits on the party’s local board. After his political affiliation became public, five members of the district’s sports court resigned, citing the association’s core values of diversity, tolerance, respect and democratic attitude. Only one referee, Niklas Breuer, remained on the panel.

The regional football association (FVM) says that mere membership in a legally recognised party does not constitute grounds for dismissal under its statutes. It notes that it has been examining the impact of party membership on official duties for over a year and that a financial‑administrative review is pending. The dispute highlights the tension between political neutrality requirements and volunteers’ private political activities within German amateur sport.