The “Berliner Weg” is getting longer and longer – Sport

A few months ago, Diego Demme was in Berlin, and he is said to have been very impressed by the reception given by those responsible at Hertha BSC. Almost touched. They had brought a box with the captain’s armband in it. He had an interesting project to offer and he should lead it. As captain. You want him, absolutely. That not only flattered Demme, it also fitted into his life plans. He is currently a player with SSC Napoli and the love shown to a Diego there can be overwhelming. But in all likelihood, the Demme dream of Berlin and the Hertha dream of Demme will come to nothing.

Demme’s environment said at the beginning of the week that the chances of a change had dropped “to one percent”. Now it is said that he has already canceled – apparently also because he had promised himself a higher severance payment if his contract, which ran until 2024, was terminated, in order to cushion the losses caused by the lower salary in Berlin, of course. well

For Hertha, this news before the game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth (Saturday, 1 p.m.) is bitter in many ways. Sporty, because there is a brutal lack of central midfielders. Atmospheric, because Hertha’s supporters expected a Diego miracle from Demme, as his namesake Maradona once did in Naples. And now? The front door to your own crew’s cabin is jammed – and the exit door is wide open.

This week saw the farewells to what are believed to be the most renowned members of the squad: Marco Richter, who was made captain just a few weeks ago and given the magical “number 10”, went to Mainz 05. Suat Serdar was loaned out to Hellas Verona. And the Belgian Dodi Lukebakio went to FC Sevilla. In all cases, Hertha had to post dramatic write-downs. Richter came from Augsburg in 2021 for seven million euros and now went for a reported three million euros; Serdar cost eight million euros in the same year and could now only be awarded; Hertha transferred 20 million euros to Watford FC for Lukebakio in 2019, now Sevilla FC is paying a basic fee of at least 8.5 million euros, on which a million euros in performance-related bonuses could be added. In addition, there are two million for further “add-ones”, which are considered unrealistic. In addition: a ten percent resale participation. Positive for Hertha: Salaries are saved. Negative: The holes in the squad remain.

Although Hertha’s sports director Benjamin Weber asserted on Thursday that Hertha “is still a big club” and that there are “many players who are interested” in switching to Hertha. But the examples of Demme and Richter probably reflect reality a little better. The “Berlin way” proclaimed by President Kay Bernstein – which stands for the reflection on noble values ​​and players from the own academy – is getting longer and longer.

Hertha President Bernstein attacks a sponsor and marketing partner

“We tried everything,” Dardai said of the Richter case. But he is now 25 years old, has quality and offers, so it is legitimate to leave if, after three defeats and zero goals from three games, it objectively looks like it should take “maybe three or four years” for Hertha to come back goes up. And demme? Ultimately, this case is only representative of the increasing number of game consultants who advise against Hertha. Also because of the “economic conditions”, which sports director Weber tried again and again on Thursday. “If you know a sponsor who pays 100 million euros – let me know,” Dardai called out in the press room on Thursday. Which brings us to the negative headlines. And exceptionally not in the criminal investigation against goalkeeper Marius Gersbeck for serious bodily harm in Austria. But, for example, when it comes to how Hertha is dealing with its partners and whether you should spit on the plate you eat from, as striker Cristiano Ronaldo once said in another context.

Because during the week things were bubbling behind the scenes after statements made by club president Kay Bernstein at the “Volkparkett” fan talk in Hamburg in the local BZ landed. After Bernstein said a year ago that he “didn’t want to accept any dirty betting money” and that it was “unworthy” of a club like Hertha to say: “But we need the money”, it ended up on the chest of the Hertha shirt: a bookmaker . “It’s only a year, it’s bearable,” said Bernstein, the club must “put full throttle on the new search” so that the Crazybuzzer company logo can disappear from the jersey by summer 2024 at the latest. He also sharply criticized the marketing partner Sportfive, who has been looking for partners for Hertha since 1994. It begs the question “how well did the marketer work if there was only the one option”.

These are surprising broadsides against companies that vouch for almost two million euros. These played an important role in the granting of the professional license, which had been hanging by a thread for a long time. Crazybuzzer reacted confidently: “If you enter into a partnership with a football club, then it doesn’t have to be a love marriage. It’s an alliance of convenience from which both parts should benefit.” They will try “with composure and optimism”, “even critical Herthaners of it to convince that we are good partners”. Sportfive Managing Director Hendrik Schiphorst also submitted a statement that read diplomatically – but showed irritation.

Sportfive rejected the accusation of having worked poorly: “The search for the main sponsor has been quite challenging in recent months, also due to the unclear league affiliation of Hertha BSC,” he said. And yet: Sportfive is “very proud to have brokered one of the top 5 contracts in the 2nd Bundesliga for Hertha BSC”. Schiphorst was basically silent about the contents of the contract; But he wanted to get rid of one thing: “Hertha BSC always has the ultimate decision-making power over accepting a sponsorship offer.”