At first glance, you get the impression that things are pretty quiet in the Haus des Sports in Munich, at least when you look at the news on the website of the Bavarian State Sports Association (BLSV). Although this has undergone a complex relaunch in recent months, it is filled with little up-to-date content. Under the “News” tab you will find an announcement from April 12th that sports clubs can apply for an energy price subsidy, that the Bavarian Sports Youth has a new homepage (April 4th). And then another interview with Prime Minister Markus Söder (March 27), which begins with the question: “What importance do you think sports clubs have for social life in Bavarian towns and communities?”
However, nothing can be read about far-reaching personnel decisions at the BLSV. According to SZ information, three members of the executive committee were temporarily suspended on March 8th, vice-presidents Klaus Drauschke and Harald Stempfer and the representative of the sports advisory board, Alfons Hölzl. All of them are still on the homepage in their respective capacity.
The BLSV confirms the step on request. One was forced to take “regulatory measures” due to the “violations (…)”, even if one admits that one of the two decisions of the association law committee, to which one refers, is not yet legally binding. The decision to provisionally suspend was taken by the nine-member Executive Committee, and the Supervisory Board also initiated a procedure to remove him from office.
Ammon claims the case against him was dropped last year
The background is a dispute that has been smoldering for years. In November 2021, the three members of the executive committee filed criminal charges against BLSV President Jörg Ammon. The main criticism was the enormous costs of more than nine million euros that the BLSV incurred for digitization measures between 2014 and 2018. 4.3 million euros alone were billed for consultancy costs with a single company that was founded shortly before the contract was awarded and liquidated shortly after the end of the employment relationship.
Ammon refers to the fact that the proceedings were discontinued last year and obviously sees the relationship of trust in the presidency as permanently damaged. The Association Day is coming up at the end of June, and the Executive Committee will be re-elected. Perhaps that is why the provisional suspension does not have to become a permanent one; The aim of the remaining presidency is presumably to make the internal opposition as invisible as possible until the elections.
