6/5/2023 0 Comments Privateeyes casrThe small club from the city's east have finished 11th, seventh, fifth and are now close to securing a top four spot and the Champions League riches that come with it.Īll the while, Union have been smart in the transfer market, avoiding the kinds of "chic" signings Hertha boss Dardai has criticised. Manager Urs Fischer is the second-longest-serving manager in the Bundesliga and was in the dugout when the club fought their way up from the second division. Union Berlin's rise may appear meteoric from the outside, but the club, with a home stadium that holds just 22,000, have prioritised stable use of their resources rather than risk. While it would make most Hertha fans wince, the club does not need to look too far to see a sustainable and effective way of returning to the top. The failure to obtain a licence could see Hertha plunged to the third division or further down.Ĭity rivals: Union Berlin fans celebrate their side's win over Freiburg, which continued their push for a first Champions League appearance / © Hertha have a high-interest loan of 40 million euros ($43 million). More pressing is the matter of next season's operating licence, which is in doubt because of financial rules. In March, Windhorst sold his stake to American private investment company 777 Partners, who have begun to pay off some of the clubs' debts.īut whether the company, which has stakes in several clubs, including Sevilla, Standard Liege and Genoa, will be Hertha's saviours remains to be seen. In total, the club has spent an estimated 374 million euros ($412 million) under Windhorst. In January, after losing 2-0 at home to Union, the club fired Bobic.įormer ultra and now club president Kay Bernstein said Hertha would go back to their roots by embracing local juniors, while declaring "it's a good day to bury the 'Big City Club' label."īernstein declared manager Sandro Schwarz safe in January, but the coach was fired in April, Hertha bringing back club legend Pal Dardai with six games remaining.ĭardai, who joined Hertha as a player in 1997 before becoming manager, saved the club from relegation in 2020-21 but was unable to do so this season.īefore Hertha's clash with Bochum, Dardai criticised the club for signing "players who are satisfied with their life, their car and their chic looks" rather than those with "imagination and development potential." Hertha adopted 'Big City Club' as a slogan and brought in sporting director Fredi Bobic. In 2019, German tech millionaire Lars Windhorst bought a 37.5 percent stake in the club. However, other than two wins in the now defunct pre-season League Cup in 20, Hertha's last piece of major silverware came in 1931, when the club won the second of their two German titles. Suffering: Hertha Berlin fans display flags and banners at the club's Olympic Stadium home groundĪs the most popular club in Germany's largest city and playing at the 75,000-seat Olympic Stadium, Hertha have the ingredients to be a powerhouse.
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