Status: 23.01.2021 2:16 p.m.
FC Hansa Rostock wants to sell the entire Ostseestadion to the city of Rostock. The Lord Mayor is ready to negotiate.
Should the sale take place, the entire Ostseestadion – and not just some of the shares – would become the property of the Hanseatic City of Rostock. The talk is of a purchase price of 15 million euros. The “Ostsee-Zeitung” reported on this first. Rostock’s Lord Mayor Claus Ruhe Madsen told NDR 1 Radio MV that he was ready to negotiate with the club. Hansa has “radiance far beyond the city walls, not only in the state, but also nationwide”. That’s why he hopes for the support of the state government. The club has done a good job in recent years, both in terms of sport and fan work “off the pitch”.
Hansa could reduce debt mountain
The third division soccer team Hansa Rostock could use the sales proceeds to redeem a large part of its loans. The club apparently owes most of its debts to its sponsor and investor Rolf Elgeti. More than five years ago, Elgeti had taken on a double-digit million euro loan that Hansa had with a bank and canceled part of the debt for the association. After a sale, Hansa would be a tenant in the Ostseestadion – for allegedly up to 500.00 euros per year. Should Hansa rise, the rent would also be increased according to information from the Ostsee-Zeitung
Marien: No air to breathe “
Club boss Robert Marien had already complained before the Corona crisis that “the credit charge for the stadium is robbing FC Hansa of the air to breathe”. In addition, the stadium, which was inaugurated in 2001, is facing renovation costs in the millions, including for the floodlights and new seats. These investments would overwhelm the association, so Marien. The state government hopes that the money for the renovation will be made available.
Debt burden of more than 23 million euros
According to its own information, Hansa Rostock had turned over 19.1 million euros in the 2018/2019 financial year, as much as never before since joining the third division. The debt burden of the former Bundesliga club continued to be more than 23 million euros in the reporting period. The ongoing cuts due to the corona pandemic have resulted in further losses in the millions for the already damp club.
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