Million dispute about dismissal
Bobic files double lawsuit against Hertha BSC
2/20/2023, 6:13 p.m
He should bring success to the old lady and the capital, but the sporting marriage between manager Fredi Bobic and Hertha BSC does not last long. The former soccer professional is now taking legal action against his dismissal.
The planned success story of Fredi Bobic and Hertha BSC is now coming to a dirty end. The former manager of the Bundesliga club is taking legal action against his layoffs. Bobic is suing the football club for several million euros. The press spokeswoman for the Berlin-Brandenburg State Labor Court confirmed this to the “Bild” newspaper: “I can confirm that the labor court has filed a lawsuit against unfair dismissal from Mr. Bobic – both against ordinary and extraordinary termination.”
Bobic was surprisingly dismissed a few hours after the derby defeat against Union Berlin at the end of January. A short time later, a termination without notice was submitted, with the accusation of behavior damaging to the association. The manager threatened to slap a reporter after the game. Bobic’s contract with the old lady ran until 2024, according to estimates by the “Bild” newspaper, he would have been entitled to up to four million euros.
As a video clip distributed after the game shows, Bobic approached the ARD reporter immediately after the interview: “If you ask again, you’ll get a scrub.” The journalist had previously asked him about the future of Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz. Bobic then apologized for his verbal gaffe. He reacted “too emotionally” and the saying wasn’t meant that way. “You shouldn’t overestimate that in football shortly after a game.”
The separation from Bobic was “not a knee-jerk reaction”, said President Kay Bernstein after the derby defeat: “We have thought about it carefully.” The decision, which was made unanimously by the Presidency and the Supervisory Board, would have been “regardless of the game,” said Bernstein. Bobic was informed of the dismissal in an “open conversation” and reacted “surprised” but “collected”. “We’re a long way from completely falling apart,” Bernstein said in late January.