After the sudden death of President Kay Bernstein, Hertha BSC faced a day of uncertainty against Fortuna Düsseldorf. But the club, team and fans have proven to have understood Bernstein’s principles.
Why do we go to football? Why go to the stadium? Why don’t we just stay on the couch in front of the TV – with the best view, repeats and in the warmth? Why do we struggle to use the miserably full public transport on match days? Why do people get involved in clubs, whether on a voluntary basis or as a member?
Because (professional) football is more than just 22 millionaires fighting on the pitch. It’s about emotions, about humanity. Football is catharsis, theater, escapism. And sport social participation, equality and the opportunity to help shape things. Kay Bernstein knew this.
But the president of Hertha BSC, who died far too early, not only knew it – he lived this ideal. Within just a year and a half at Hertha’s helm, he became a symbol for exactly this type of football. A football that remembers its role as a social bonfire, that doesn’t rush away with blind greed. A football that belongs to the people, that takes them seriously and gives them strength. A football from which stories, heroes and community emerge.
“We haven’t said a single word about the game so far”
It proves that this is exactly what football is all about in the toughest times. Bernstein’s death shocked the Hertha family and all of football in Germany. In just a few days, the fan scene and the club had to think about how they wanted to play the next matchday against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
It began with a funeral march from Theodor-Heuss-Platz to the Olympic Stadium. The “Theo”, which was still a place of boundless joy on November 11, 2023 as part of the friendly duel with Karlsruher SC, became a place of sadness on Sunday morning. People cry, hug each other, hold each other up. Many carry individual roses or entire flower arrangements with them, which they will later place in front of the Olympic Stadium.
The murmur of the 7,000 participants has many facets. Deep mourning. The constant realization of not really having any words for what happened. My own anecdotes about Kay Bernstein. Explain what you associate with it. Honest, sometimes panicked uncertainty about what to expect today and what will happen next for Hertha. Everyday conversations can also be heard; some seem to have used this sad event as a reason to see each other again for the first time in a long time. A march as a mobile meeting and place of worship. After many conversations, a Hertha fan remarked: “It’s amazing, we haven’t said a single word about the game so far.”
Numerous Hertha officials are also there, such as the now acting president Fabian Drescher and managing director Tom Herrich. The office employees mingle with the other fans. Based on Bernstein’s motto “We Herthaners”, which wanted to strengthen the community and break down camps and hierarchies.
It’s as if grief absorbs the sound.
A deafening silence
When you arrive at the stadium, a lot of things feel unfamiliar, almost surreal. In memory of Bernstein, many of the usual rituals of Hertha home games will be suspended. No loud warming up of the stadium announcers, no the usual funky preliminary program of music, interviews and much more. No Hertha fans already belting out songs in the stands or in the stands. Instead, almost eerie silence, the usual songs are replaced by songs like “My Way”, “Junimond” or “Everybody Hurts”. The team’s line-ups are only read out soberly, the emotionally shaken Berlin Ostkurve remains calm. A deafening silence.
It’s as if grief absorbs the sound. Only the fans of Fortuna Düsseldorf can be heard: they commemorate Bernstein with a banner, but cheer on their team as usual. At first it only gets loud at Hertha when the anthem “Just go home” is played. The stadium sings, perhaps more reverently and fervently than ever before.
Then stadium announcer Fabian von Wachsmann speaks. He devotes emotional words to Bernstein. “You will live on in our hearts,” he finally says, then the previously shaky voice finally breaks. But it is greeted by an applauding stadium. A moment of deep connection. Followed by a minute’s silence, which really lives up to its name. 43,000 people envelope the infinitely wide Olympic Stadium in absolute silence. A banner with the inscription “In memory of Kay Bernstein” hangs in the east curve. A single pyroflare lights up for him. Then it’s kick-off.
Hertha mourns the late President Bernstein
Hertha BSC is in shock. The death of club boss Kay Bernstein shocked the second division club and moved many people and football teams – not just in Berlin. This is how fans and teams mourn Bernstein.more
A moment of redemption
The Hertha BSC players had every reason not to have their heads fully focused on the matter. Bernstein was not just any club president; this was also reflected in the unusually close relationship between him and the team. But the home team seemed solid, almost motivated. “Kay was part of us and we wanted to play this game for him, that’s how I perceived the team,” said sports director Benjamin Weber after the game.
There is no question that the sporting performance of the Berliners and the final result on this Sunday afternoon is absolutely secondary. But the coaching team and team are all the more honored to have shown a remarkable performance against such a high-class opponent like Düsseldorf. When Haris Tabakovic made it 1-0 in the 30th minute, it seemed like a real relief. As if fans and team could breathe again for the first time in days. When the Austrian runs to the bench to celebrate the goal and holds the warm-up shirt with the inscription “We Herthaners. In deep sadness” towards the sky, the Hertha family that Bernstein had always preached can be seen and felt.
Whether the funeral march or the many pictures, candles and flowers in front of the stadium entrances and the Olympic Stadium itself. Whether the speech by stadium spokesman Fabian von Wachsmann, the silent prayer during the minute’s silence or the many commemorative banners in the east curve. Whether Bernstein’s specially decorated “regular place” in the stadium, where his famous training jacket and a megaphone were located as a reminder of his time as the lead singer of the Hertha Ultras. Or Tabakovic’s emotional celebration.
All of these moments created a more than worthy setting for this unique farewell game, which, from a sporting perspective, ended 2-2. There is probably no better proof that Bernstein’s seeds have sprouted. “My wish for 2024: Let us cultivate and strengthen this community in order to gain strength from it that will not only let us dream, but also achieve goals,” he wrote on “X” on December 31, 2023.
“It continues, albeit differently”
As tragic and senseless as his death is, the reaction of the club and fans proves what a miracle Bernstein achieved in his one and a half years as president. He reunited a completely divided and broken club, brought to light long-lost values and gave Hertha faith in better times. He asked the Hertha fans “Why do we go to football?” again given an answer.
This very special day symbolizes that the “Berlin path” taken by Bernstein can work and is only just beginning. “He is immortal,” said coach Pal Dardai after the game. Or as Benjamin Weber said: “It continues, albeit differently.”