opinion
Chief Financial Officer Thomas Wüstefeld
The HSV is rid of its problem board, the massive difficulties remain
Thomas Wüstefeld rose rapidly at HSV and fell just as quickly
© Christian Charisius / DPA
Hamburger SV has one less problem: the controversial CFO Thomas Wüstefeld has resigned. But the financial misery and the dubious role of President Marcell Jansen in the case remain.
On Wednesday evening the time had come: At the extraordinary supervisory board meeting of Hamburger SV, Thomas Wüstefeld announced his resignation as CFO and member of the supervisory board. It is not a great realization that this resignation was long overdue and relieved HSV of a great burden. Apparently, the medical entrepreneur, who had only been in office for nine months and forestalled being thrown out, had apparently realized that in the end. His rise at the club was rapid, as was his fall.
The allegations against the 53-year-old were too numerous and too serious. The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office is investigating two criminal charges against Wüstefeld and his company, lawsuits worth millions will soon be heard before the district court and there are doubts about the entrepreneur’s doctorate. It remains to be seen what the allegations are about. They were always problematic for the notorious crisis club HSV.
Huge Zoff within the HSV
Internally, Wüstefeld did not ensure calm, but rather a huge Zoff. He took on major investor Klaus-Michael Kühne because he wanted back part of the purchase price for the HSV shares that he had bought from the billionaire. He had a deeply disliked relationship with sporting director Jonas Boldt and has so far failed to secure a guarantee for a stadium renovation loan. Instead, he preferred to fantasize about a 200-million-dollar project, the Volkspark-Plaza, which he wanted to build for HSV on the site around the stadium. Like many things about the entrepreneur, it sounded too good to be true. The city of Hamburg, which owns the site, only shook their heads at the fantasies.
The real problem behind the turbulence: HSV is highly susceptible to figures like Wüstefeld. The club and in particular President Marcell Jansen were only too happy to be dazzled by the success stories of the enterprising businessman, and it was President Jansen who brought him on board. Jansen had business ties with Wüstefeld and evidently had a lot of credit for him. Most recently, Jansen held on to the controversial CFO for far too long and seriously claimed that the allegations against Wüstefeld had nothing to do with HSV. Jansen has massively damaged himself with his behavior. Who is supposed to take a president like that seriously?
Jonas Boldt doesn’t cut a good figure either
Sports director Jonas Boldt did not cut a good figure in the mess either. He fought a power struggle with Wüstefeld and fired sports director Michael Mutzel. The matter is currently being resolved in court. A solid club management looks different.
A damaged club remains – again. Not many football clubs in Germany are talented enough to make their own lives more difficult than necessary. The former major club and current leader of the 2nd division is a true German champion in this respect.