Hans-Joachim Watzke also wants to stay a powerful official at Borussia Dortmund and in football associations. But there are headwinds and many questions about his charter flights and their processing.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, 66, is the managing director of Borussia Dortmund, at the same time he is Vice President of the German Football Association DFB and spokesman for the professional league DFL, one of the most powerful football managers in Germany for years.
Under Watzke’s leadership, BVB’s turnover has been suspected in the past 20 years, also the sporting balance – actually a success story.
Before the Presidential election Rumor it in the club
But in the autumn of his official career, the native of Sauerland is no longer undisputed, even in his own club it is rumbling. This year Watzke plans to hand over the managing director post in the outsourced limited partnership to shares (KGAA) and take over the volunteering of the president in the registered association.
But there is resistance. In the November elections, a combat vote with the current BVB President Reinhold Lunow, 72. On Wednesday (08/13/2025) Watzke officially made his candidacy. The election campaign becomes heated and increasingly unappetizing. The previous highlight: Questions about flights that Watzke had completed in Charterjets.
Questions about travel to Geneva, Sylt and Berlin
It’s about traveling two years ago. One in June 2023 from Dortmund to Geneva, then from Geneva to Sylt, and one in September 2023 from Berlin to Dortmund and back again. Chartered flights for the BVB boss and largely paid for by Borussia Dortmund, the company listed on the stock exchange.
In a letter to Lunow, an anonymous person had drawn attention to the flights in May this year. The suspicion of the whistleblower: damage to the corporation. The President of the EV passed on the information on the examination to the responsible bodies.
Unanimous opinion: nothing to the allegations
Three activated instances – the compliance officer, the Presidential Committee, to which opponent Lunow, and the examination board of the Supervisory Board – came to a result within a few days: nothing in the allegations.
Watzke’s charter flights were justified. First of all, the boss flew to Geneva for a meeting of the UEFA executive committee on June 28, 2023, in the evening to the annual strategy workshop of BVB according to Sylt.
The flights in September 2023 went from the three -day general assembly of the European Association Representation ECA in Berlin to Dortmund to take part in an entrepreneurial day in Essen. Then we went back to Berlin.
BVB: Flights “fully assumed on business”
BVB emphasized that Watzke’s trips “had been fully prompted” to the sports show that it had been “took place in accordance with its managing director’s contract” and that the Borussia Dortmund stock company was not damaged.
Information on the evening before one Media publication
The case would probably have been done in previous years after the exams in May. But Watzke now blows the wind of parts of a critical follower violently into the face. The local press also got wind from the air affair, and on July 8, the Dortmund “Ruhr Nachrichten” reported under the heading “The power struggle rages” on the charter flights.
On the evening before the report was published, the association’s house judiciary inaugurated the entire supervisory board for the first time in an email. In addition, the mail went to other people in the top of the club, including sports manager Lars Ricken. Even assistants of managing directors were informed about the explosive matter.
In a confidential system of the mail, the association states that the association is “the greatest possible transparency” that the cause apparently has the purpose of “damaging Mr. Watzke’s reputation for no reason”. Exams had shown that Watzke had not violated any rules.
Critical voices require further information
However, critical voices in the association continue to clarify. In fact, some questions remain unanswered: Why does Borussia Dortmund cover the cost of a charter flight to the UEFA? Watzke sits in his executive committee as a representative of the DFB.
At the request of the sports show, if you take the travel expenses for meetings of the European Association, the UEFA referred to two documents, in which it is called that members of the Executive Committee would receive expense allowances of 160,000 euros, Vice President of UEFA, like Watzke, would even receive 250,000 euros. The UEFA left unanswered a request whether the travel expenses were covered.
Former official Grindel: “Costs were borne by the UEFA”
Former DFB President Reinhard Grindel was sitting in the European Association Executive Committee from 2017 to 2019. He told the sports show: “I have always flown line for the meetings of the UEFA Executive Committee, and the costs were borne by the UEFA.”
BVB left the sports show why the club’s annual working meeting of the club’s management elite had to take place on Sylt in June 2023, on the same day as the session of the UEFA Executive Committee.
Short trip to the entrepreneurial day
The second charter flight of the pointer is also being discussed. The club boss between the ECA general assembly in Berlin had to Jetten at the expense of the KGAA at the expense of the KGAA, and then a good half-hour conversation in Essen (“I got from Berlin and also have to go back.”) On the podium. Among other things, the content was: a criticism of reforms of children’s football that the DFB countered immediately.
In documents available to the sports show, there is talk of the boss donated the fee. He also paid a share of his own on the flights. Watzke did not want to comment on this on request.
Questions about processing
Many doubts in the black and yellow club world affect not only the flights themselves, but also the processing.
The judiciary and the association’s compliance officer were instrumental in dealing with the air affair. Both are employees of the KGAA and thus managing director Watzke hierarchically subordinate.
When asked about the sports show, Borussia Dortmund replies, the “internal revision” and the members of the examination board would “act” independently “, and of course also obtain his own information”.
At request, Borussia Dortmund left unanswered why the management only informed all members of the Supervisory Board about the processes in July as a publication in the media.
Hans-Joachim Watzke has been the managing director of the corporation since 2005.
At the end of May there was a meeting of the Supervisory Board, which is up to the task of checking the management. At this point, the examination of the compliance allegations was already completed.
Fundamental Reporting obligation To the Supervisory Board
Compliance expert Prof. Dieter Leuering says in an interview with the sports show about the basic handling in a listed company: “Every committee has to report on the entire committee in the next ordinary session about its work.”
If the examination board “comes to the conclusion that there is no compliance violation, in my opinion, the total supervisory board does not have to be taught in detail,” continued the director of the Institute for Corporate Law of the Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University. The procedure for some members of the Supervisory Board until July seems to be questionable.
Indication of Confidentiality
On questions of the sports show as to whether the association’s examination board was solely released when it was released Watzke’s information on the information from the club employees or even investigations, the chairman of the committee pointed out his obligation to commit.
Why did the committee not see any evidence?
According to information from the sports show, the association’s Presidential Committee was also not presented to check the information from the association. Why didn’t the members of the committee insist on these documents?
How could you still come to the conclusion that Watzke acted properly if you did not examine the decisive documents yourself?
Contrary for the office of president: Reinhold Lunow and Hans-Jaochim Watzke
Reinhold Lunow, chairman of the Presidential Committee, also refers to his confidentiality obligation on request and does not answer any questions. The Presidential Committee would come to the same and unanimous result that Watzke had not violated any rules, according to BVB, it is said to the sports show.
Known for frequent charter flights
Club members also wonder if the CEO’s travel bars are still up to date. Watzke is known in the club that he often uses charter machines to quickly come to Dortmund or to Paderborn, the next airfield of his hometown Marsberg. Only two flights are listed in the anonymous letter.
In the foreword of the BVB Sustainability Report, Watzke himself emphasizes the “successful environmental certification” of his club, “Step by step” BVB “wants to” make our entrepreneurial hand print more and more positive ” – how does this claim fit together with its charter flights?
Topic “ecological footprint”
BVB has explicitly committed to environmental protection, in the sustainability report of the association, for example: “The task of BVB is to sensitize and to deal with the topic of mobility and your own ecological footprint.”
The sports show asked Watzke, the association, the supervisory board and the examination board. The BVB replied that “in principle it does not communicate concrete details about a compliance test for confidentiality reasons”.
Control leads inquiries Management further
Neither Watzke nor BVB wanted to comment on the questions of whether the charter flights still match the association’s environmental protection measures.
Ulrich Leitermann also did not answer any questions. The deputy chairman of the supervisory board, as well as a member of the inspection committee, only had his office informed: “Mr. LEIGERMANN has forwarded your request to the management of Borussia Dortmund.”