It all started as a simple fan. For years I would sit on the stands and cheer for SV Werder Bremen, share their wins and defeats and await feverishly every scoring chance with the players. Soon I realized: I wanted to take an active part in the club and represent it at the best. A long and hard journey was upon me, which peaked in a simple handshake with Werder's vice-president Klaus-Dieter Fischer - a handshake which sealed the deal on the contract assigning me as the manager of Bremen's football club. November 11th of 1981 was the day my personal passion became my profession.

Having served as the manager of Werder for 18 years I can look back on a series of moving memories. Especially the great occasion that Werder came off as a winner in the Winner's Cup match against AS Monaco in the year 1992 was a reason to celebrate. Another very important event was the match against FC Bayern Munich in 1999: It was not until the penalty-shootouts that Werder could celebrate the victory. This terrific win was the perfect gift at the ending of my term as manager. I like looking back on these great moments, but unfortunately I also experienced some sad moments back then. Otto Rehhagel's decision to leave the club in particular was very shattering for me. His transfer to FC Bayern Munich didn't make the loss any easier on Werder. Luckily he and I managed to stay friends down to the present day.

From being a passionate Werder fan to working as the manager of Bremen's club it was a very intense process, which called for my heart and soul. Staying true to the fan in me, I still attend the home matches of SV Werder Bremen regularly and support my favourite club with a passion. Always keeping that perspective in mind enables me as chairman of the club to reach those decisions that are in the interest of the fan community.

The relevancy for my new function as UN-Special Adviser on Sports for Development and Peace is not based on soccer itself, but on its significance as a mass sport that is a core element in education and development. Still the goal of my work is strongly connected with my experience at SV Werder Bremen: The atmosphere at Werder is filled with unity and solidarity. Exactly these values are to be achieved and conveyed using sport as a preventive measure against violence and disputes. This is my mandate and I am certain that my experiences at Werder Bremen will make a huge contribution to achieving these goals.

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