Former Hannover 96 goalkeeper Sievers enters politics and runs for mayor

Jörg Sievers once kept Hannover 96's biggest victory alive from the penalty spot. Now, at 60, the former goalkeeper wants to become mayor of Springe, a town of about 30,000 people in the Hanover region.

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Professional football teaches you to deal with extreme pressure. You always have to perform, you always have to deliver.

Sievers was the hero of Hannover 96's sensational 1992 German Cup win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, when he saved the decisive penalties. His nickname, “Colt,” comes from Colt Seavers, the action hero of the 1980s television series “The Fall Guy.” But the qualities Springe voters will expect from him have less to do with dramatic rescues than with pressure, endurance and teamwork.

“Professional football teaches you to deal with extreme pressure. You always have to perform, you always have to deliver,” Sievers told the German Press Agency. He said football also taught him the importance of team spirit. “You learn team spirit, because without the team, nothing works. You cannot achieve anything alone. I do believe there are quite a few parallels.”

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You learn team spirit, because without the team, nothing works. You cannot achieve anything alone. I do believe there are quite a few parallels.

The former player also sees similarities in the working hours. “In professional football, you have to work in the evenings. You travel through the night to return from matches. You are on the road at weekends, and it is similar for a mayor,” he said. “You cannot simply put down your pen at 4 p.m. on Friday. There will also be several appointments at the weekend, but that is part of the job.”

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You cannot simply put down your pen at 4 p.m. on Friday. There will also be several appointments at the weekend, but that is part of the job.

Springe's incumbent mayor is not seeking another term. Sievers faces seven other candidates in Sunday's local election, making a runoff likely. Asked whether his public profile gives him an advantage, he praised all the candidates and said the office was “certainly not a 9-to-5 job.” He said he now had enough experience to seek the position and that his CDU party had reached the same conclusion. His interest in politics began early. His father served on a local council in the Lüneburg Heath, giving him an example of political engagement. The decision surprised his former Hannover 96 club chief, Martin Kind, who said he admired Sievers' courage.

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I was surprised by the decision.