Despite clear warning: Watzke to become new BVB president | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund has elected Hans-Joachim Watzke as the new president despite a surprisingly weak result. Now, the 66-year-old wants to unify the club and initiate important reforms.

Hans-Joachim Watzke is the new president of Borussia Dortmund – however, with a result that caused significant unrest within the club. At the hybrid general meeting, the 66-year-old received only 59 percent approval from the 4,244 eligible voters. For a candidate without an opponent, this is an unusually weak vote and a clear indication of the current tensions within the club.

Watzke took over the position from Dr. Reinhold Lunow, whose farewell speech was accompanied by standing ovations. Already in his speech before the election, Watzke showed an unusual humility: "I have a lot of humility and a lot of respect for this task," he stated. At the same time, he made it clear that his understanding of his role would change. As the CEO of the KGaA, he was "obliged to the shareholders," but now he must "make fewer decisions, but moderate more." His ambition is to be "a president for all Borussia fans."

The narrow majority is likely also related to the issues that overshadowed the general meeting – including Watzke's much-discussed role change within the club, the recently revealed abuse case, and the dispute over security-related measures. Watzke admitted how deeply the abuse case had shaken him: "When you read that, it just makes you sick."

New BVB President Watzke Announces Structural Reforms

At the same time, the new president announced initial substantive steps. In the first quarter, he plans to convene a newly appointed statute commission to modernize the club's statutes. He also made it clear that he wants to see "significantly more women in responsible positions" at BVB – a goal by which he wants to be measured after his three-year term.

With the election, Watzke ends an almost 21-year era as CEO, during which he led the club out of an existential crisis and won five titles. The future operational head of the football KGaA, Lars Ricken, honored his predecessor with the words, without him "the club would no longer exist in this form."

Despite the shaky start, Watzke now wants to steer the club into calmer waters. "We must form an absolute unity again," he had already emphasized in his candidate presentation. For this, he will need the support of many – including those who withheld their approval in this election.

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