Dhe Day of German Unity could still be very restless for Hertha BSC. In terms of sport, a win this Sunday (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) would have a relaxing effect. Coach Sandro Schwarz therefore demands maximum consistency before the game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. A motto that would also help clarify the next act in Hertha BSC’s tense relationship with investor Lars Windhorst. Because the club does not come to rest, on the contrary. Windhorst is now attacking the new club management in the affair surrounding a lawsuit brought against him in Israel:
It was and is no secret that Windhorst wanted the then Hertha President Werner Gegenbauer (72) out of office. After a few months, it became clear to him “that it is very difficult to work as a team under Gegenbauer’s leadership. He is not concerned with bringing about the sporting success of the club, but with maintaining power. There are roped parties and cliques,” Windhorst announced early on on Bild TV.
The 45-year-old joined Hertha in 2019 and has already invested 374 million euros through his company Tennor. Windhorst holds 66.6 percent of Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA. In May, Gegenbauer then announced the end of his term as Hertha President. Kay Bernstein, once an Ultra and corner whip, took over.
“The case reads like a thriller”
The “Financial Times” reported, with reference to court documents in Israel, that Windhorst is said to have commissioned an Israeli detective agency called Schibumi to discredit Gegenbauer at the time. “The case reads like a thriller,” wrote the newspaper “Die Welt” on Saturday and gave an insight into the documents that she says she has. The documents also contain detailed information on the methods used to systematically damage Gegenbauer’s reputation and infiltrate his environment.
A court spokeswoman confirmed to the dpa that Schibumi had filed a lawsuit against Lars Windhorst and Tennor Services Suisse AG for a sum of almost five million euros on September 6th. The lawsuit was withdrawn on Thursday, and there are no official statements or information about the content of the lawsuit or the reasons for the withdrawal. According to the Financial Times, the lawsuit was about outstanding payments.
The Windhorst side described the report of the “Financial Times” in a first statement by spokesman Andreas Fritzenkötter as “complete nonsense”. Hertha asked Windhorst to submit a written statement the next day, according to “Bild” by this Monday, i.e. by the day of German unity. Windhorst got in touch on Saturday. The 45-year-old wrote with a view to the approach of the new Hertha leadership around President Kay Bernstein: “All this has nothing to do with a new beginning and respect.”
He “takes note” of the decision to have Berlin lawyers investigate. It is “extremely regrettable” that no attempt was made to clarify open questions in a joint internal discussion. “Instead, as in the past, there was piercing and leaking in the press,” emphasized Windhorst. “It would not have required support from a foreign agency, especially for the absurd fee mentioned in the article,” emphasized Windhorst about the power struggle with Gegenbauer at the time.
