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Election in Berlin: Ex-Ultra Kay Bernstein new President of Hertha BSC

Bundesliga election in Berlin

Hope for healing hands – ex-Ultra Bernstein new president of Hertha BSC

Former Ultra Bernstein becomes the new President of Hertha BSC

Hertha BSC is now headed by a former ultra as president. The members dared a small revolution and elected the communications manager Kay Bernstein.

Surprise in the elections for the president of Hertha BSC. Kay Bernstein is the first former ultra to preside over a Bundesliga club. He prevailed against the politician Frank Steffel. Now there should be a clear change of course.

VMuch had been said and written about him in the past few weeks. After the sporting crash was just averted in the relegation against Hamburger SV, public interest in Hertha BSC focused on a single person. On the one hand, because Kay Bernstein, with his CV as a candidate for the presidency, was quite exotic among Berliners. On the other hand, because there were simply no other exciting concepts and personal details to choose from.

Many of the more than 3000 members must have had a similar experience. As a result, Hertha BSC is now daring a small revolution. With 1670 of the 3016 valid votes, the base on Sunday elected the communications manager and ex-ultra as the new president of their association. Bernstein wants to initiate a drastic substantive realignment at the capital club. “Our old lady is in intensive care. Now we can heal them holistically from the inside and make them healthy,” said the 41-year-old in the City Cube of the Berlin trade fair after his choice, which many observers previously thought was not possible, and thanked him for the trust.

All in all, a victory for the active fan scene and a crushing defeat for the club’s establishment. During the meeting, the estrangement between large parts of the membership and the officials on the stage became clear again and again. “We need an honest, real reset,” said Bernstein.

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When the result was announced, huge cheers and shouts of “Ha Ho He, Hertha BSC” broke out from Bernstein’s supporters. The winner of the election, who describes himself as the “child of the curve”, was visibly touched and blew through the stage several times. “Thank you for your trust,” he said and tried to close ranks with the broad base. Everyone can help to win back the club’s “blue and white soul”.

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The election was eagerly awaited. Bernstein prevailed against the preferred candidate of the supervisory board and long-time CDU member of the Bundestag Frank Steffel and the blatant outsider Marvin Brumme. After 14 years, the controversial Werner Gegenbauer resigned as president at the end of May.

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Was left out: Presidential candidate Frank Steffel

Source: dpa/Britta Pedersen

Bernstein’s offer to Lars Windhorst

Steffel, who has been successfully leading the Füchse Berlin handball Bundesliga team for many years and is considered to be well connected in terms of sports policy, started the day as a favorite. During the meeting, however, it became increasingly clear how critically he was viewed by large parts of the membership – precisely because of his connections to Berlin’s political and economic scene. The supposed trump card became a burden for Steffel.

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Bernstein used to be the lead singer in the East Curve and is still involved in the fans’ social projects. During the election campaign, he had repeatedly sought authentic exchanges with the grassroots. Better internal and external communication, more cohesion and, above all, better integration of fans and members. Bernstein was able to embody that credibly, now he has to implement it.

The fact that he has no past as an official at his club was certainly part of the appeal for his voters. But it also raises questions. Without this experience, how well can you lead a Bundesliga club that is still highly ambitious? How do Bernstein’s goals fit into the reality of the football business? With Fabian Drescher, however, he has someone at his side as an experienced deputy who has known the work of the Executive Committee for years. Kay Bernstein is also the successful manager of his own company. He can’t do it alone, Bernstein conceded, but he can lead one and good people, he said. He wanted to build a team, it needed a truce with everyone in and around the club, in which he explicitly included investor Lars Windhorst.

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Taking the crowd: Kay Bernstein asks the members for help

Source: dpa/Britta Pedersen

An ex-ultra, a connoisseur of the active fan scene, as president: That could change the external perception of Hertha significantly. In quieter times, the club was often perceived as a bit stuffy and boring, since Windhorst joined the expression “Big City Club” has been a malicious companion of Berliners. Bernstein, who has now arrived at the stadium in the main stand, does not want to be reduced to his time as an ultra. Nevertheless, that is precisely what makes his election a special personality.

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Hertha is in the midst of a massive change in personnel, but most of the key positions have now been filled. In the end, Bernstein will not only have to be measured by table positions, but also by whether change and change will come about under him.

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