HSV fan scene warns of “one of the biggest decisions ahead” | OneFootball

The HSV fan scene keeps pointing out painful truths and has at times sharply criticized the club’s leadership. However, it viewed the current situation as largely positive.

“We, the fans, fought to win back our voice in the club. For seven years, there was someone there – despite the second division, in every kind of weather, in every position in the table, at their own expense. The fact that this is now seen in many places as a strength of this club and not as a disturbance is progress we are proud of,” the Förderkreis Nordtribüne said happily in its statement.

Alongside the positive sporting development, it also had words of praise for the HSV executive board around Henrik Köncke, who once stood on the fence himself as a capo, as well as Michael Papenfuß and Laura Ludwig: “They are pushing projects forward, they are not just representing, they are working. That is exactly what the members elected them to do, and that is exactly what they have delivered so far.”

Photo: IMAGO

HSV “exemplary” in Kuntz separation

As chairman of the supervisory board of HSV Fußball Management AG, Papenfuß also played a central role in the separation from sporting director Stefan Kuntz due to accusations of sexual harassment deemed credible. The Förderkreis considered the approach “exemplary”: “It surely cost a great deal of courage, time, and money. But it was right and shows that HSV can act according to its values, even when it may become uncomfortable.”

Criticism – often expressed very clearly in previous years because of high ticket prices – was instead directed at the new appointment for stadium catering. On the one hand, the fan scene took issue with the decision in favor of Levy Restaurants; on the other hand, with how it came about: “A long, careful process in which many people, including us, were ‘involved.’ Just not in the final selection. So here we are, just like you, looking at the outcome and asking ourselves questions: Why pretend there is participation if in the end the decision is made alone anyway? Where exactly is the progress compared to the previous unpopular caterer – also a US corporation?”

Nur die Raute – All news about HSV

“All of this could have been discussed. Beforehand,” it continued. The same mistake must absolutely be avoided on a far more significant issue: the future of the Volksparkstadion. Despite Hamburg’s failed Olympic bid, the construction of a new arena with a capacity of up to 70,000 remains a possibility. Hamburg’s Senator of the Interior, Andy Grote, has so far not backed away from the ambitious plans.

“This is one of the biggest decisions facing HSV. If we approach it without a shared standard, it will go the same way as the catering issue. Only for the next fifty years,” the Förderkreis Nordtribüne stressed with concern. A stadium, it said, is not “a location,” but “the place where this club’s football has its home,” and one with which fans connect countless moments filled with all kinds of emotions.

Clear ideas about HSV’s future

The Förderkreis Nordtribüne will continue to represent its interests in the future, but also made one thing clear: “We are not demanding a seat at the table for every small decision. We are not the management and do not want to be.” Instead, what is needed are “guardrails. A guiding principle that bindingly sets out what this club stands for and how it should act accordingly. Not as a poster in the foyer, but as guidance for everyone involved and as a standard against which every decision can be measured, from sponsorship deals to ticket prices to a new stadium.”

The advantage of such guardrails would be that not every issue would have to be renegotiated. Therefore, the Förderkreis Nordtribüne will continue working with “fans, members, employees, departments, and decision-makers” – and, if necessary, also voice its displeasure so that HSV continues to act in the interests of its loyal supporters.

Photo: Getty Images

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.