Hertha investor Lars Windhorst is said to have discredited ex-president Werner Gegenbauer in the power struggle at the time with a targeted campaign. Windhorst’s spokesman denied.
It sounds like something out of a bad soap opera: According to research by the “Financial Times” [Bezahlinhalt/Englisch] have been commissioned to use a targeted campaign to force former Hertha President Werner Gegenbauer out of office. Client: Hertha investor Lars Windhorst.
Few points and still confident
With six points, Hertha BSC is in 13th place in the Bundesliga – a mixed start to the season. And yet people at Hertha are more confident than they have been for a long time. The blue and whites are hoping for development.more
Busted due to lawsuit
The whole thing has now been blown because Windhorst’s company Tennor was sued by the Israeli agency Shibumi Strategy Limited. It is about debts and unpaid premiums totaling five million euros. The sum consists of one million euros for the eight-month campaign plus four million euros for success. The Financial Times report relies on Israeli court documents.
The accusation: Since Gegenbauer resigned from his position in May 2022, the agency is of the opinion that “the project was successfully carried out” and that the company is therefore entitled to the agreed success fee. However, Ori Gur-Ari, CEO of Shibumi Strategy, told the Financial Times that he was unaware of the order and lawsuit.
Windhorst spokesman: “This is complete nonsense”
When asked by rbb|24, Windhorst spokesman Lars Fritzenkötter said: “That’s complete nonsense.” Windhorst will be present at the upcoming 100-day press event for the new Hertha President Kay Bernstein next Tuesday. Hertha spokesman Max Jung announced that Tennor had assured the club that the allegations were untrue. The person concerned, Werner Gegenbauer, has so far not wanted to comment on the events. He has received a written request from rbb|24.
According to Israeli court documents, the service contract was about starting a campaign that was intended to improve Windhorst’s reputation at Hertha on the one hand and to force Werner Gegenbauer out of office on the other. The agency apparently created numerous fake profiles with a team of 20 to create a mood against Gegenbauer in social networks. These allegedly included caricatures in which Gegenbauer was portrayed as a devil and as pulling the strings of the precarious sporting situation at Hertha BSC at the time.
Allegedly even contacted family members
The caricatures are signed “alexandershertha” and that is also the name of a real account on Instagram and Twitter, on which many posts can be found that criticize Werner Gegenbauer. Striking: Since Gegenbauer’s resignation on May 24, only one post has been shared on both accounts. There hasn’t been any new content since then.
In addition, according to the Financial Times, people from the Hertha environment and even family members are said to have been contacted in order to get discrediting information about Gegenbauer.
Broadcast: rbb24|Inforadio, September 29, 2022, 3:15 p.m
