Shortly after his one-year anniversary as Hertha President, Kay Bernstein massively criticized professional football. “We should just ask who actually owns the football. What kind of responsibility do we have for the game? A monopolistic system without competition has emerged in football. At all levels,” said the boss of the Berlin Bundesliga relegated in an interview “ntv.de”. “I don’t see any other legal economic cycle in sport that is similarly monopolistic. We need new rules for sustainable and competitive football. They then apply to everyone. No more back rooms.”
The argument with the former Hertha investor Lars Windhorst was instructive for him. “The Windhorst case opened my eyes to how far some people go to cement their power. I realized that I had ended up in a cycle that involves a lot of money, which is sometimes not played fairly . It’s a corrupt system. When it comes to money, there are a lot of people who want to have a say,” said Bernstein. The American company 777 Partners has now joined Hertha as a new investor.
From Bernstein’s point of view, the experience is not limited to his Berlin club. “I mean that in a larger sense. We only have to look at Fifa, Uefa, at the associations. It is lived out from above. The system is lived like this. Everywhere,” criticized the 42-year-old former Ultra.
He himself had to undergo a moral transformation in office, away from former ideals. “For me today it’s a bit like the Greens, who are suddenly caught up in realpolitik,” said Bernstein. “We can no longer be stopped: the revolution has already begun.”
As changes, the entrepreneur suggested a redistribution of funds in favor of clubs that manage their budget better or a salary cap. A return to a common playing time at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday would also make ecological sense, since the train would again become an adequate means of travel for away fans.
Sources: n-tv, Homepage Hertha BSC, DPA
