59,75 % der Fans raten HSV von umstrittenem Kühne-Angebot in Höhe von 120 Millionen Euro ab

Today, Friday, the supervisory board of HSV AG is meeting, and one of the items on the agenda is the renovation of the Hamburg Volksparkstadion. The day before, Klaus-Michael Kühne hinted at a rescue package. He is offering the club €120 million, but this is tied to a complete reorientation of the club. For this reason, FanQ surveyed football fans in Germany on whether HSV should accept this offer.

120 million euros for the restructuring of the club and a whole lot of power

Yesterday at 14:45, Kühne Holding AG sent out a press release, according to information from „Kicker“, which can be summarised into two key points: the billionaire would almost completely restructure HSV and at the same time transform the entire club. The now 85-year-old wants to increase his shares to 39.9 % and send two representatives to the supervisory board. The deal would consequently mean a significant shift in the balance of power at the traditional club. For example, Thomas Wüstefeld, the current CEO of the ‚Rothosen‘, would be released from his duties. Already last week, the investor had stated in the „Abendblatt“ that he hoped the current board „will soon be history at HSV.“

In addition, although Kühne is offering equity, he is calling for „a permanent working committee“ which, among other things, should „decide on the composition of the board“. In order to realise his plan to buy the desired power in the form of shares worth 39.9 % with the 120 million euros on offer, the structures of the club would also have to be changed, as HSV AG is currently only allowed to sell 24.9 %. For this reason, the billionaire is seeking an extraordinary general meeting as soon as possible to vote on the reorganisation of the traditional club.

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Actually, the offer from the 85-year-old would come at just the right time. Hamburger SV is currently financially up against it and has pretty much exhausted all avenues for generating revenue. Examples of this include the sale of the stadium grounds and catering rights. Specifically, Kühne is offering 25 million euros for the stadium renovation that is due, 20 million euros for debt reduction, and another 20 million euros for strengthening the squad. Furthermore, they are „prepared to inject 60 to 80 million euros into the company. The prerequisite for this is that the share distribution is reorganised as follows: 50.1 percent HSV e.V., 39.9 percent Kühne Holding AG, 10 percent other shareholders.“

In addition to this significant structural influence, the investor would also continue to take over the naming rights for the stadium. He intends to rename the arena „Uwe-Seeler-Stadion“ and to „pay HSV AG an annual fee of three to four million euros for a period of ten years.“ Whether this offer is made out of pure altruism, or whether he wishes to win the favour of the fans and, in particular, the voting members of the club, remains to be seen.

In this context, FanQ surveyed German football fans on whether the club from the north should accept the €120 million offered by investor Kühne for the restructuring of the club. Around three in five (59.75 %) of those participating in the survey would advise the HSV officials against accepting the 85-year-old's millions and thereby agreeing to his extensive demands. In contrast, 31.45 %of those surveyed are of the opinion that the club should accept Kühne's offer.