VfB Stuttgart has won the car manufacturer Porsche as a further investor. This also increases sporting expectations, says SWR sports reporter Günther Schroth.
“World market” – this word means that even in the furthest corners of the world people still know who Porsche and Mercedes are. You are on the world market when you are familiar to the people in Asia, Australia and America. And it’s world class when you can count two such global brands from Württemberg among your sponsors. That’s why I can only congratulate VfB Stuttgart on this successful coup, to count both Porsche and Mercedes among its supporters from now on.
Successful coup: Porsche and Mercedes together
Until then, it had seemed impossible to many to include the two brands in a common sponsor pool. Either Mercedes – or Porsche, so far the mantra on the Neckar. And Porsche as a clearly recognizable sponsor in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, that seemed completely impossible up to that point. But: At VfB, this Gordian knot has been cut through as elegantly as it has been sustained: the naming rights for the stadium on the Neckar now go to MHP GmbH, the third party in the alliance: a subsidiary of Porsche. And despite the name change, VfB has managed to keep Mercedes in line.
“Württembergish world market alliance” brings 100 million euros
With this, the association and its CEO Alexander Wehrle have achieved something absolutely new for the Stuttgart region: the city and the central Neckar region show themselves in all their financial potency. Because the fact that Mercedes and Porsche are making brilliant money, despite the pandemic, energy crisis and Ukraine war, is something that Swabians don’t usually talk about very modestly. And the fact that you can keep up with such global brands in such an economically powerful metropolis as the one on the Neckar with Milan, Munich or Manchester is now an open secret. Porsche acquires shares in VfB AG, as recently only Mercedes, the entire package in the “Württemberg world market alliance”, as VfB calls it, amounts to over 100 million euros. By German standards, that’s a huge amount of money.
Finally Champions League again?
By German standards, mind you. Because in addition to the fact that VfB also has to deal with legacy issues, this sum is on the Football World Market then rather a nose water – you can currently just buy a Joško Gvardiol for it. The RB Leipzig defender is rumored to be worth that sum to Manchester City. Therein lies the catch: VfB must now deliver after this coup. No one needs relegation finals anymore, who is still fourth in the all-time Bundesliga table should be able to play in exactly these table regions again with such support.
Was there in 2010: Round of 16 in the Champions League between FC Barcelona and VfB Stuttgart
Because such ambitious expectations have now been raised. World football market means at least in the medium term: European competitions, preferably the Champions League. After this coup, at some point it won’t go below that anymore. And then at some point you will know in Asia, Australia and America who this VfB Stuttgart is.
