Status: 19.06.2025 3:28 p.m.
Who will be President of Hamburger SV EV and thus the successor to Marcell Jansen? The HSV members have the choice between three candidates on Saturday. Club icon Felix Magath is not among them – and this caused heated minds in the weeks before the general meeting.
There is a lot of indication that it will be high on Saturday in the Volksparkstadion from 10 a.m. The successor of Marcell Jansen is then sought. Three candidates are available for this: Kai Eselsgroth, chairman of the HSV Honorary Council, entrepreneur Franck Ockens and Henrik Köncke, supervisory board of the Football AG and former creeper of the “Poptown” ultra group.
Beach volleyball legend Laura Ludwig and Anna Stöcken as well as treasurer Ralph Hartmann and Michael Papenfuß apply as vice presidents. The day is about how the traditional association grown to 120,000 members is facing the future.
Advisory Board does not allow Magath to choose
Probably more than the candidates are talked about for the election of the Presidium about a man who has not been approved by the club’s advisory board for the election of the president: Felix Magath. One of the reasons for this: The 71-year-old is more interested in his influence on the outsourced professional football area than in leading the popular sports club.
Almost a month before the Advisory Board’s decision, Magath confidently announced his surprising candidacy for the successor to the outgoing official Jansen. Together with the former HSV goalkeeper Richard Gold as Vice, the idol wanted to lead the club. “I’m the right HSV president for the next few years,” he said. However, the advisory board of the HSV saw it differently.
Magath is one of the most formative figures in HSV club history. As a player, he became German champion with Hamburg three times, in 1983 he scored the decisive goal in the final for the European champion of the national champions against Juventus Turin. From 1995 to 1997 he trained the Bundesliga team. In the turbulent recent past of the traditional association, a return in different functions was already in the room in 2007, 2014 and 2017.
A year ago, the former national football player also wanted to become HSV sports director. Stefan Kuntz, who celebrated his return to the Bundesliga after seven years of abstinence, was awarded the contract.
“If someone says now I am not suitable, then I just have a shrug for it.”
Felix Magath
For Magath, the advisory board is justified not to allow him to choose, “a joke. As if I could and would only have football.” Of course, he is interested in other sports, he said when he visited the NDR sports club.
“I have brought the chess department before the computer so that they can train better. This is a matter of course for myself. In the meantime, I prefer to look at handball than football. I was a marathon, I was going to fight for everyone,” said Magath and has a clear criticism: “This is a political decision. The advisory board should not make the choice for the members. They should only assess the candidates.”
Video:
Magath about the HSV and his non-approval in the presidential election (23 min)
Great fan club supports Magath
Numerous members saw it that way and did not want to accept the decision. The large fan club “Hermann’s loyal ranks” protested by an open letter (“if you remove the applicant with the clearest sporting profile and the greatest relevant experience from the race, the selection is limited”).
Golz withdraws Vice President candidate
According to Magaths, ex-goalkeeper Golz, who wanted to become Vice President, also got out. He decided to withdraw his “candidacy because the direction formulated together with Felix Magath cannot be implemented for HSV EV,” wrote the 57-year-old on his LinkedIn profile.
“In the meantime, it seems clear that the non -transparent decision of the advisory board remains. I am personally disappointed with it,” said Golz about the efforts to allow Magath to be elected. That’s why he decided to retreat.
On Saturday, after a long general meeting Esselsgroth, Ockens or Köncke, the new president of Hamburger SV EV is called. Until then, the name Magath should have been a lot more often.
