Disputes in the management floor, bad mood among the workforce and quarrels with the city over the Volksparkstadion: After a turbulent summer break, Hamburger SV is the last second division team to start training again on Monday.
At the fifth attempt to return to the Bundesliga, the old problems caught up with Hamburger SV before the start of training on Monday.
The management level is at odds, the mood within the club is bad, and the relationship with the city of Hamburg is extremely tense.
The only new thing is that the Hanseatic League will not start the second division season with a new coach, Tim Walter should remain in office.
CFO Wüstefeld causes a stir
The coach could remain the only constant in terms of personnel, at least for the time being, because the powerful CFO Thomas Wüstefeld sees a considerable need for reform at the former Bundesliga Dino, including personnel. “We have recognized potential for optimization, internal change processes are absolutely necessary,” said the medical entrepreneur in an interview with club media.
Saving and at the same time maintaining the sporting clout of the North Germans – with this balancing act the 53-year-old has made himself anything but popular within the club. Not with the office staff, which is to be reduced, and not with state politics.
Because the Hamburg Senate is not willing to contribute to the renovation costs for the Volksparkstadion with a view to the 2024 European Football Championship. In 2020, HSV sold its stadium property to the city for 23.5 million euros in order to use this sum to finance the necessary conversions. But the money required for this has long since been spent elsewhere.
So high severance payments, which have long been a bad tradition among North Germans, cannot be afforded at all. But Wüstefeld is certain: “I see us well positioned for sporting competitiveness.”