Zöller traveled with the East German team to the 1972 European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden but did not compete, choosing to defect before the start of the event. On 10 January 1972, he obtained an alien's passport at the West German embassy in Sweden and boarded a ferry to Kiel. He coached in Ludwigshafen before relocating to Mannheim in 1974. His former students include Claudia Leistner, Rudi Cerne, Stefan Pfrengle, Manuela Ruben, Petra Ernert, and Nathalie Weinzierl.