Hamburger SV’s best PR department wears shorts. On the lawn, the players of the strengthened HSV deliver the positive headlines. Irrespective of the constant unrest at management level, the team is making its way in the 2nd division – and taking its enthusiastic fans with it.
“Now we’re where we want to be,” said HSV coach Tim Walter, who also usually had short hosts, after the well-deserved 2-0 (1-0) win in the top game over Fortuna Düsseldorf. Because his team is on a direct promotion place, which they consolidated with the fourth win in a row. Because of the upcoming international matches, the league is taking a two-week break. However, Walter does not give himself or his players a break. “I’m completely satisfied with everything, but we want to and will work on improving even further,” said the 46-year-old.
unrest behind the scenes
The greatest danger for the HSV project ascent lurks in the club itself. In the center: CFO Thomas Wüstefeld. The 53-year-old faces allegations in connection with his work as a medical entrepreneur. It’s about lawsuits worth millions, a possible criminal complaint for breach of trust and allegedly illegally sold medical products. Wüstefeld rejects all allegations and believes that competitors are campaigning against him.
However, the fact that the “Hamburger Abendblatt” presented a construction project at the Volksparkstadion costing up to 200 million euros also caused a stir. The clammy club first has to get the arena fit for the EM 2024. Even his proposal to enthrone a CEO again does not help to ease the tension. It is an affront to sports director Jonas Boldt, whose relationship with Wüstefeld is already broken.
And then there is the offer of 120 million euros from investor and Wüstefeld adversary Klaus-Michael Kühne. Hardcore fans of HSV reject the offer, as they made clear on Saturday evening in the stadium with a banner. The supervisory board around the chairman and HSV president Marcell Jansen is meanwhile stubbornly silent and probably wants to save himself in the World Cup break in mid-November. The inspectors don’t even want to make a quick decision about extending Walter and Boldt’s contracts, which expire at the end of the season.
HSV team presents itself as a unit
Coach Walter doesn’t care about any of this. His team and supporters, almost 50,000 of whom stood like a wall behind HSV against Düsseldorf, could serve as a role model in working together. “It’s a very good symbiosis, it just fits. We’re happy that we’ve brought so many fans back to the stadium, it wasn’t always like that,” stressed Walter. “There was a lot of force from the ranks,” admitted former HSV and current Fortuna coach Daniel Thioune, impressed.
Bakéry Jatta was particularly celebrated. First, the 24-year-old prepared the lead in a full sprint on his right side with a class assist – Robert Glatzel only had to score his sixth goal of the season (21st). In the final minute, it was up to the outstanding winger from Gambia to head the game. “He has a brutal quality,” said Glatzel.
It’s true in the team. This was also reflected in the substitutes. Walter put the recently unconvincing Sonny Kittel and Miro Muheim, who showed up too late for training, on the bench. When they came in, they were all there. Kittel first hit the inside post and then gave the cross to Jatta’s goal. “I can throw in whoever I want at the moment, everyone is showing great commitment,” said Walter. “So a big compliment to everyone.”