PostedSeptember 13, 2022, 06:25
FootballBanned from the stadium, he becomes president of Hertha Berlin
Kay Bernstein’s journey is unlikely. Former leader of a group of supporters, he was elected head of the Berlin club in June. This is the first time this has happened in the Bundesliga.
On August 13, the president of Hertha BSC Berlin, Kay Bernstein posed in front of the “Ostkurve” so dear to the club’s supporters.
IMAGO/camera4+
Kay Bernstein is 42 years old. In the early 1990s, as a child, he became a fan of Hertha Berlin. Growing up, his passion did not diminish: so much so that in 1998 he co-founded the ultra supporter group Harlekins Berlin. He became the “capo”, the one who sings with his back to the lawn… At the same time, certain excesses led him to be banned from the stadium!
Earthquake in German football
Last June, an announcement had the effect of a bomb in German football. In one of the meeting rooms of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, Kay Bernstein had just taken on another dimension. At the general meeting of the club, he was elected president of Hertha Berlin by collecting nearly 54% of the votes (1670 votes out of 3040). He beat handball section chairman and CDU politician Frank Steffel and building contractor Marvin Brumme. It was the first time that a supporter had taken over the management of a Bundesliga club.
The main mission of Kay Bernstein will be to restore a dialogue between the different factions of the club. The very traditionalist supporters welcome the promotion of a figure from their ranks. Very committed to Hertha BSC, they understand less and less the direction that German and world football is taking, with increasingly powerful investors.
catastrophic seasons
The new president will therefore have to reconcile them with the man who holds the purse strings on the Berlin side: Lars Windhorst, who arrived three years ago and who has only experienced disappointment. With the climax of the catastrophic 2021-2022 season, with a place as a play-off and an in extremis rescue in the Bundesliga thanks to a victory in a double confrontation with Hamburg.
“Our old lady is in intensive care. We can heal it from within, and we can only do it together.”
Kay Bernstein now frequents the main stand, rather than that reserved for supporters, his former match friends.
IMAGO/Contrast
Kay Bernstein also insisted on speaking directly to her detractors, telling them: “Our old lady is in intensive care. We can heal it from within, and we can only do it together.”
The supporter banned from the stadium has – since – redeemed a pipe. He has become the boss of a communication agency and knows how to find the words that mark. For example, he had baited the supporters by promising to “find the blue and white soul of Hertha” and by establishing “civil peace” between all the actors of the club.
can do better
On Saturday, the Berliners conceded a draw once morest Bayer Leverkusen (2-2). They meet once more 15e in the standings with 6 points in five games. It’s still not enough. With one of the six biggest budgets in the Bundesliga, the Hertha of new coach Sandro Schwarz (43), must be in a much better position.
