Club

“I see HSV in a good position”

Club president Marcell Jansen is the new head of the HSV supervisory board and perceives his most important task as creating unity in and around the club.

On Saturday (28th March), the HSV supervisory board met and decided on a number of changes in the management of the club. Bernd Hoffmann, up until that point the club’s chief executive, was dismissed, meaning that HSV’s executive board now only consists of Head of Sport Jonas Boldt and CFO Frank Wettstein. Thomas Schulz and Max-Arnold Köttgen, previously members of the supervisory board, also stepped down, with Köttgen being replaced by current club president Marcell Jansen as head of the supervisory board. The former HSV player answered the journalists’ questions on Monday (30th March) in the first-ever virtual press conference due to the continuing coronavirus outbreak. Jansen spoke about:

… the events of the past few days: It was certainly a turbulent time and a difficult decision that we had to make. But in the end as a supervisory board we made a clear decision, a decision that was important for this club.

… the new make-up of the executive board: It’s not unusual for a football club to be led by an executive board of only two people. With Frank Wettstein and Jonas Boldt we have two very, very good board members. We fully trust the work they are doing and are in a good position throughout the club. I have a good feeling that the new duo will always be able to come to a solution that is in the interests of the whole club, free from any vanity. This ability to work as a team and being unified is particularly important considering the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, we are aware that responsibilities will have to be redistributed and corrected accordingly. As a supervisory board, we will keep in contact with the executive board to ensure that good decisions are made in the interests of the club as a whole.

… the option to move onto the executive board himself: I campaigned with blood and sweat to become the club’s president and the job fulfils me, because I live for this club. It’s a big task to try and unify the club internally whilst also representing it to the outside world. I feel very happy in my current position. I don’t know what the future holds but I don’t have a personal agenda and would like to stay in my role at least until my term is up in 2022.

… the financial situation: The team around CFO Frank Wettstein have done a really good job in the past few years, so that we are in a very good position financially. The current stability gives us hope that HSV will emerge strongly from this crisis. It will be decisive, whether games have to be played behind closed doors and when we can play football again.

… the role of Klaus-Michael Kühne: Herr Kühne is a big fan and sponsor of the club. It’s not fair to bring him into the situation that was dealt with at the weekend. It was about differences and rifts within the executive board; this split led to the decision being made, nothing else. We have a trusting relationship with Mr. Kühne and are regularly in contact with him, as we are with all of our shareholders, as well as the supporters and members of the club. The task for all of us is to stabilise HSV together and develop the club as one.