interview
Kay Bernstein is the new President of Hertha BSC. After the election, he talks about the upcoming goals as club president and makes it clear where he sees a particular need for action.
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB): You needed 1,509 votes for the presidency – in the end it was even more than 1,600. How do you feel about the successful election?
Kay Bernstein: It’s not fully processed yet. On stage it was very emotional, there was a tear. It was nice to feel the support and also the hope in the hall: Let’s do this together. That was special. And now the greatest task of my life awaits.
From the curve to the executive floor
Kay Bernstein is the new President of Hertha BSC. At the extraordinary general meeting, he prevailed against the CDU politician Frank Steffel. Former Ultra Bernstein is calling for nothing less than a culture shift. By Till Oppermannmore
RBB: In your speech you described Hertha as an “old lady in intensive care”. What do you want to tackle first?
Amber: The first thing to do is to restore the truce with all parties within the association. But it’s also about the approximately 1,300 Hertha residents who didn’t vote for me to shake hands and signal: Let’s talk, let’s enter into a dialogue. And: The vote speaks for the desire of the members to actually carry out the restart.
RBB: Before the vote, you had ruled out being available as the second force behind your opponent, Frank Steffel. Was that the right decision?
Amber: It’s not about me or Frank Steffel. But the club made the right decision, the members made the right decision on which path they want to take for Hertha BSC. We’ve lived through years of not-so-lucky choices since 2008. And now it’s going the other way.
RBB: In your speech you indicated that you will now be cutting back on your business, correct?
Amber: I’m leaving the operative business and will fully devote myself to the task here (note: Bernstein was most recently an entrepreneur in the communications industry).
RBB: With regard to Hertha investor Lars Windhorst, you said you also want to reach out to him – also to bring calm to the club?
Amber: In order to calm down, to carry out coordinated communication and to walk in the same direction when it comes to the goals.
Kay Bernstein is the new Hertha President
Hertha BSC has a new president. At an extraordinary general meeting, the majority of voting members voted for Kay Bernstein. Vice-President is Fabian Drescher. Everything important in the live tickermore
RBB: How would you sum up what has gone so fundamentally wrong at Hertha in recent years?
Amber: We were too alienated from the club to the base. And if there’s one thing we take away from the members’ vote, it’s that it’s about closeness. It’s about taking the people who care about Hertha BSC seriously.
Torsten Michels conducted the interview
