Financial worries too
Chaos and intrigue plague the riding association
23.09.2024, 16:23
At the Olympics, the German riders are still guaranteed medals, but at home the drudgery of everyday life is catching up with them. The association is in crisis, the search for a new president is turning into a “mudslinging match”. And then there is the economic situation.
For a few days, the Olympic gold medals outshone everything else. But Germany’s most successful sports association has long since returned to normal life – and at the German Equestrian Federation (FN), this is dominated by serious financial problems, the urgent search for new management personnel and the intrigues that go with this.
Undeterred by the chaos in the association, the team celebrated four gold and one silver medal in front of the dream backdrop of the Palace of Versailles. The previous year’s deficit of 976,000 euros was already known at that time, the financial director had been dismissed and the president and a member of the executive committee had resigned. But the turbulence continued after the Olympics. In the meantime, there was a “mud fight” in the search for a new president, as the specialist magazines “Reiterjournal” and “St. Georg” unanimously judged. In addition, there was another resignation in the executive committee.
After the former manager Martin Richenhagen (AGCO) had initially expressed his interest in the presidency, another interested party emerged in mid-August: former top banker Stefan Unterlandstättner (DKB). But then “a photo was circulated in equestrian circles”, as the “Reiterjournal” reported, showing the amateur show jumper Unterlandstättner in an unfavorable position on a horse.
“Campaign against a candidate”
Unterlandstättner, frustrated, withdrew his candidacy before it was even made official. And Holger Wulschner, another member of the executive committee, resigned because of the intrigue. “I’m leaving because there is currently a campaign against a candidate for the office of president that I proposed,” explained the Nations Cup rider. “The way this was handled has really upset me.”
At least: Since then, the association’s search committee has found two more candidates in addition to Richenhagen: Heinrich Bottermann and Hans-Jürgen Meyer. Almost two weeks ago, the trio presented themselves to the delegates at the general meeting. In October, the sports advisory board will decide who can stand for election in November. The winner has a lot of work to do, because Richenhagen is not the only one who sees the FN as a “case for restructuring,” as he wrote as editor in the magazine “Reiterrevue.”
“Mr Lauterbach definitely has to go”
The search for two managing directors is therefore likely to be much more important than the election of an honorary president. In addition to a new financial director, the economically troubled association will soon also need a new general secretary to succeed Soenke Lauterbach. The full-time boss described himself as a “burden on the FN”, but wants to remain in office until September 2025. Presidential candidate Richenhagen recently said in the “Reiterjournal”: “Mr. Lauterbach definitely has to go.”
One of the most prominent critics of the association is Isabell Werth. The eight-time Olympic champion recently expressed her concerns on the ARD “Sportschau” that the financial problems will have a negative impact on future success. “The junior sector in particular needs the association,” said Werth.
Sports director Dennis Peiler said: “Thanks to the support of the federal and state governments as well as our association partners, we are well positioned in youth and elite sports.” Despite the necessary savings, he is “very confident that we will continue to be able to remain internationally competitive at the highest level.” The managing director responsible for sports does not want to comment on the association’s other problems.