Who will be Hertha President? Frank Steffel (left) and Kay Bernstein are the favourites
Source: dpa/Arne Richter
The power vacuum at Hertha BSC will soon be over. On Sunday, the association will elect a new president at the general meeting. Everything boils down to a duel. The two favorites could hardly be more different.
ZBetween rescue in the relegation and the start of the next season, there is no rest at Hertha BSC. The Berlin Bundesliga team needs a new boss. On Sunday (11:00 a.m.) the new president will be elected at an extraordinary general meeting in the City Cube of the Berlin exhibition center. It’s about a directional decision.
Why is a new election necessary?
Werner Gegenbauer resigned just one day after staying up by beating Hamburger SV 2-0 in the relegation game. The 71-year-old thus forestalled being voted out at the general meeting on May 29. The entrepreneur had been in office since 2008, and he was associated with general stagnation and the recent decline in sport. Another fan accusation: Investor Lars Windhorst’s 375 million euros were wasted.
Who are the candidates?
Everything boils down to a duel. The CDU politician and entrepreneur Frank Steffel (56) and the former Ultra and today’s event manager Kay Bernstein (41) are taking part. It is still unclear whether the largely unknown Marvin Brumme (37) will keep his candidacy until Sunday. Other candidates such as Ingmar Pering, who has been a member of the Executive Committee for many years, withdrew, and he now wants to become deputy under Steffel.
What distinguishes the applicants?
Steffel and Bernstein have nothing in common at first – except their commitment to Hertha. There the long-time politician Steffel, demonstrably a power man, for many years a member of the Bundestag and well connected in Berlin – also as long-term boss of the top handball club Füchse has also been at the top of the sports world for years.
Bernstein stood in the east curve for many years, tuned into the songs for the fans and was a leading member of the Ultras, which Steffel once castigated as a riot maker in a speech in the Bundestag. During his time as an Ultra, Bernstein was always involved in social causes outside of the stadium. He is now sitting in the grandstand in the stadium. He runs his event agency and is therefore also active in the local business world, his regular voters come from the active fan scene.
What is the strategy and who is the favourite?
Bernstein relies on his origins in the hardcore following. He must mobilize this voter potential. His slogan is “change instead of trade”. He wants a new direction in terms of content that would be revolutionary and unique for Bundesliga clubs. He wants to actively change paradigms and structures.
Steffel presents himself more as an elder statesman, wants to ensure unity and stability after years of turbulence – he also comes across as more presidential in appearance. It is clear that he is the favourite. In backroom talks, Steffel tries to unite all the candidates behind him even before the election. He succeeded with Pering, but not (yet) with Bernstein.
How does investor Lars Windhorst behave?
Windhorst is not only a million-dollar donor, but like managing director Fredi Bobic, a normal Hertha member and therefore entitled to vote. Public election statements are avoided. But both can definitely be assigned to the Steffel camp. During the short election campaign, he avoided giving the impression that he could elicit new funds from the investor, but the connections are certainly good.
Contrary to expectations, Lars Windhorst did not put forward his own candidate
Which: REUTERS
The Hertha establishment would be properly challenged under Bernstein. The Ultras – Bernstein’s successor in the east curve, so to speak – denigrated Windhorst at the last general meeting. The 41-year-old himself relies on dialogue with the investor.
