Sport Investor prevails
The power struggle at VfB Stuttgart ends historically
As of: 10:44 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Promise broken: Stuttgart President Claus Vogt is no longer chairman of the supervisory board
Source: dpa/David Inderlied
VfB Stuttgart has a new boss. For the first time in the Bundesliga, a woman sits at the top of the supervisory board. President Claus Vogt was overthrown. In doing so, the club is breaking a promise it made to its members. The big winner is investor Porsche. Now the fans’ resentment threatens.
President Claus Vogt is no longer chairman of the supervisory board of VfB Stuttgart. Tanja Gönner, managing director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), was elected as her successor. This was announced by the third-placed team in the Bundesliga. However, Vogt remains a member of the supervisory board. This means that the power struggle that has been simmering for a long time has been decided. Investor Porsche, whose desired solution is a sponsor, prevailed.
“After intensive discussions with Claus Vogt and the members of the Supervisory Board, Porsche would like – as Claus Vogt promised – a new beginning on the Supervisory Board with a new AR chairman, who should ideally come from the circle of AR members appointed by the eV,” Porsche said recently announced. “Porsche is not aiming to take over the AR chairmanship.” Vogt has been VfB president since December 2019. This is the first time in the history of the Bundesliga that a woman is at the head of a control committee. Previously, only the second division club FC St. Pauli had a supervisory board chairwoman, Sandra Schwedler.
Tanja Gönner is Managing Director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI)
Source: picture alliance/dpa/Bernd von Jutrczenka
VfB is now threatened with trouble
“I am happy about the great trust and the new challenge. I assure all members that I will represent the interests of the association in all important decisions in close communication with them,” said Gönner. “Together with the supervisory board members of our partners Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, I am of the opinion that in the future the ideal person for the chairman of the supervisory board should be a member of the association’s presidium who was directly elected by the members,” said the former Baden-Württemberg Minister of Social Affairs and Environment Minister of Transport.
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A sentence that seems almost paradoxical given her choice, but is explained by her postscript: “that was directly elected by the members and has the necessary professional and personal qualifications,” Gönner continued.
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At least in parts of the active fan scene, Vogt’s deselection is unlikely to go down well. When the professional football department was spun off into an AG in 2017, the members were promised that the president would also lead the supervisory board. That is no longer the case.