Ex-Leeds United goalkeeper axed by Marcelo Bielsa enters politics ahead of local elections | OneFootball

Felix Wiedwald, the former Leeds United goalkeeper who departed four days into Marcelo Bielsa’s reign, has entered politics. Now 36, he is standing for the CDU in September’s Verden city council elections while continuing as a Werder Bremen scout.

"I went all in right away," he told Kreiszeitung. "I registered with the CDU local branch and let them know I'd like to get involved. So many people complain, but only a few actually get involved in politics and take on responsibility. That's different for me!"

Wiedwald joined Leeds from Werder Bremen in 2017 on a three-year deal, making 28 Championship appearances under Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom. A series of errors saw Bailey Peacock-Farrell take over in March 2018, and Bielsa’s arrival that summer preceded Wiedwald’s exit four days later. He later returned to Germany and retired in 2022, aged 32.

After retiring, he completed a two-year programme with Werder Bremen and a sports management course in Switzerland, and he is heavily invested in real estate.

Wiedwald has joined the campaign team for CDU mayoral candidate Björn Symank and has regularly attended CDU group meetings. He is stepping into local politics at a level that affects daily life, and has made no suggestion he will leave his current role.

"I'm a full-time scout in squad planning at Werder Bremen," he added. "It's a full-time job. But, like many other politicians, I want to make the time for it. I don't like everything about the CDU, but that's normal in a democracy. And at the local level, it's all about working together to make a difference anyway."

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk