Big sigh of relief in the Westend
Hertha BSC prevents a brutal crash in the regional league
06/12/2023 1:46 p.m
For a long time, the financially stricken Bundesliga relegated Hertha BSC had to worry about being eligible to play in the second division. Now the decision will be made by the German Football League. The West End club breathes a sigh of relief.
Hertha BSC has averted another crash and can compete in the second division next season. The Berlin Bundesliga relegated has met the requirements and received the license for the 2nd Bundesliga. As the German Football League (DFL) announced, all 36 clubs in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga were allowed to play – including the Berliners not mentioned by name in the announcement.
The club confirmed on its website that it had received the license for the coming season. “This is good news for Hertha BSC,” said Managing Director Thomas E. Herrich. “We have done our homework over the past few weeks and months, submitted all the required documents to the DFL at the necessary time last Wednesday and met all the requirements.” Otherwise the club would have been threatened with falling into the regional league. According to the Berliners, they had submitted the required documents on time last Wednesday.
The financially ailing Berliners had a gap in coverage of around 60 million euros. Hertha wants to achieve a large part of the sum by postponing the repayment of the 40 million euro bond, which is actually due in November. Creditors were asked to agree to an extension at lower interest rates by June 19. It is assumed that the Berliners had to provide the DFL with additional security for the amount of the bond in advance – for example in the form of a bank guarantee.
Squad for the new season still unclear
A month-long nail-biter ends for Hertha. In May, the old lady was relegated from the top German division for the seventh time. Just under four years after investor Lars Windhorst, who invested a total of more than 370 million euros in the club, the club had to fight a lot to prove to the DFL its economic ability to act. 777 Partners has now taken over Windhorst’s shares and is paying the club a total of 100 million euros for additional shares. Nevertheless, the financial situation is precarious.
Now the planning for the second division season at Hertha can continue. The club announced last week that Hungarian Pal Dardai would remain head coach. The squad for the new season is still completely unclear two weeks before the start of training. Belgium international Dodi Lukebakio, crowd favorite Lucas Tousart and returning from their loans Alexander Schwolow and Krzystof Piatek are candidates for sale. The quartet was signed in times of financial recklessness and sits on well-paid contracts. “We will continue to work intensively on becoming financially healthy and at the same time putting together a squad that is competitive,” said Managing Director Herrich.