On the brink, but hopeful
Hertha boss makes clear allegations against ex-finance boss
05/14/2023, 7:05 p.m
In the worst case, Hertha BSC will be relegated from the Bundesliga to the fourth-tier regional league this year. Despite the sporting misery, the club is gaining members and the association is hopeful at the general meeting. However, crucial questions remain unanswered.
The descent from the Bundesliga seems inevitable at the latest after the painful slap in Cologne. 85 million euros in debt, and still no decision has been made about the license for the coming season: Despite the huge concerns, President Kay Bernstein drew a glimpse into the future that should give Hertha BSC hope.
“We will be successful when we have overcome the financial legacy in 2025/2026,” said Bernstein at the general meeting of the Bundesliga soccer team in the Berlin Exhibition Centre. “Our Berlin way is a vision forward,” added the Hertha boss. In view of the current precarious situation, that sounded unexpectedly ambitious.
Above all, the entry of the new investor 777 Partners should help to straighten out the financial difficulties. “Therein lies a central cornerstone for our future, which gives Hertha BSC the chance to restructure,” said the 42-year-old, who had to survive a motion to be voted out together with his colleagues on the presidency. However, the German Football League is currently still examining entry with regard to the 50+1 rule, so Hertha still has to meet conditions.
“We want to close the Lars Windhorst file”
For Bernstein, working with the American company is “there is no alternative” “due to the problems of the past” so that the club can survive economically. The loss of Hertha BSC GmbH & KGaA as of June 30, 2022 is 85 million euros. The new investor is to contribute 100 million euros by June 30 so that Hertha receives the license and does not have to start in the regional league in the worst case.
“We will not be dependent on 777,” said Bernstein, who praised the previous cooperation with the new investor. “It’s a completely different commitment than with Windhorst,” the president, who has been in office for eleven months, referred to the 1,423 members present who made mistakes before his time: “So much has happened in recent years that we can say: there were 250 million Euros burned in four years. That was madness that must never happen again.”
Bernstein also took the former CFO Ingo Schiller into the monetary responsibility that Hertha suffers from: “We said goodbye to him with applause and standing ovations. But we also have to be honest that the financial situation was his responsibility.” In the direction of Windhorst, the President said: “We want to close the file and thank Lars Windhorst – for his money.” Windhorst got on board in 2019 and had invested around 374 million euros for 64.7 percent before deciding to sell after numerous arguments with the Hertha management.
Bernstein reported that the club has already saved more than eight million euros in salaries in the administrative apparatus by “adjusting the structures and staffing from within the team. Staying power is crucial, we need patience, expertise and cooperation to turn the hamster wheel by us because of past mistakes, we feel we can leave.”
Pal Dardai sets the direction
After all, the Bundesliga crisis club was closed on Sunday. No fan riots, no loud criticism of the management course. A chaos session, as was to be feared, was not far from the Berlin radio tower. The signal Bernstein wanted to send was unity after years of negative headlines. Curiously, despite the precarious situation on the economic and sporting side, Hertha remains attractive. “We have 46,057 members,” said Herthas Vice President Fabian Drescher. Last year, the bottom of the table only had 41,200 members.
Coach Pal Dardai, who hit the nerve with his message and encouraged the members to standing ovations – two days after the 2: 5 at 1. FC Köln, which makes relegation a theoretical construct, became the key witness to the attractiveness and unity . Two wins against Bochum and Wolfsburg are now a must for a miracle.
“We’re passionate about Hertha, that’s why we’re here,” said the Hungarian. “We still have a little hope and are trying to stay in the league. But the matter is no longer in our hands,” said Dardai. Despite the sporting and financial precarious situation of the club, he dutifully thanked the support in the city and within the club: “It’s just great.” At the same time, the club’s record player defended the new path under the leadership of President Kay Bernstein. “I like this path,” said Dardai. Bernstein wants to continue on this path. It remains to be seen which turn Hertha will take in the summer.