The organized fans of VfB Stuttgart demanded the resignation of the executive committee in the game against 1. FC Heidenheim. (IMAGO / press photo Baumann / IMAGO / Hansjürgen Britsch)
In terms of sport, VfB Stuttgart is having an outstanding season and is third in the Bundesliga table and is about to enter the Champions League. Nevertheless, there is anger among the fans. The reason is a power struggle for the right to have a say in the club.
“It’s about the question of who is actually in charge at VfB Stuttgart and specifically how much influence the registered club has on the stock corporation that takes care of professional football,” explained journalist Johannes Holbein on Deutschlandfunk.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board Vogt suddenly dismissed
In 2017, VfB Stuttgart spun off the professional department into an AG in order to be able to sell shares. The vast majority of members voted for this spin-off at the time. There was a promise from the association: the chairman of the AG’s supervisory board should always be the current president of the association and not be appointed by external investors. That was the case until recently, but in mid-March the majority of the supervisory board expressed no confidence in Claus Vogt at an extraordinary meeting and dismissed him. Since then, Tanja Gönner has led the supervisory board, making it the first time since 2017 that a person was not elected by the members. “And of course the members have the feeling: OK, we are losing more and more influence and that is why the situation is currently boiling over,” said Holbein.
According to Holbein, the organized VfB fans in the “Cannstatter Kurve” are now demanding the resignation of the executive committee. “The trust has been lost, but they are also very critical of the investors and the entire supervisory board. I think the big problem is that VfB Stuttgart does not manage to speak with one voice and does not manage to be credible “That he really lives 50+1. But you have to say that the members have the most influence on the Presidium because they vote directly. And that’s why the specific criticism is also aimed at the Presidium.”
“Credibility has been lost”
President Vogt had just warned about the increasing influence of investors and spoke out in favor of fans’ influence. “But credibility has been lost,” Holbein said. “That’s because very different people have their say at VfB Stuttgart. Claus Vogt is isolated and separated and that’s exactly what the fans don’t want. They want a strong board. A board that stands up for the members and not that one says this and the other does that. It seems a little as if Claus Vogt was saying what the fans want to hear, but as if he wasn’t really living it.”
From the fans’ point of view, there is no winner, said Holbein: “As far as the presidium is concerned, as far as the supervisory board is concerned, as far as the board is concerned, my impression is that the fans simply distrust. Statements that are made may not be as early as two weeks later no longer valid.”
Resignation from the presidency could end in chaos
The vice presidents Rainer Adrion and board member Christian Riethmüller now want to ask the vote of confidence at the next regular general meeting. But the fans don’t want to wait for that, said Holbein. “They don’t want a vote of confidence either. They want resignation.”
Finding a way out is difficult, said Holbein. “I’ve spoken to various lawyers and they tell me that a resignation from the entire executive committee is not provided for in the statutes and could end in chaos. Then the club’s advisory board, another body like that, has greater power. If all three would really resign now “It could get pretty messy.”
That’s why the general meeting in July is a way out, said Holbein. “Then waiting to see what comes out of the vote of confidence and then, if in doubt, submitting motions to be voted out and vote out the presidium is what I see as a solution. But I don’t have the feeling that the Cannstatter Kurve can now be satisfied with that. What What’s really important in the future at VfB Stuttgart is that it’s possible to speak with one voice again, to be transparent and to involve the members really seriously and honestly.”