It is clear that Hertha BSC, one of Berlin’s top football clubs, is in a lot of trouble. President Kay Bernstein has praised the new investor “777 Partners” as “a forward-looking step,” while his like-minded supporters have protested that it means “loss of control for quick money – 50+1 only on paper!” After the exit of investor Lars Windhorst, the US investment company known as “Triple Seven” has acquired a 64.7 percent stake in the Hertha professional department for only a third of the original purchase price.
It is a catastrophic picture that Hertha is now portraying: Bundesliga in the middle of the deepest relegation battle. The 374 Windhorst millions that were invested have been fried, burned, and squandered. Today, the club has more than 90 million euros in liabilities. Sports director Fredi Bobic resigned in a manner that many consider to be utterly styleless. He took up his duties in 2021, but instead of money, he found himself forced to sell players.
“777” is now stepping in with an additional 100 million euros to help the struggling club, almost 30 million of which will serve as SOS help. This investment is crucial since it is believed that without it, Hertha’s Bundesliga license would be at risk. However, critics question whether this is a “takeover through the back door.” The private equity company already has stakes in six other football clubs, including FC Sevilla and FC Genoa. It employs data analysts and talent scouts, and its co-founder Joshua Wander believes that the “multi-club model can bring added value to each individual club.”
The German Johannes Spors, who has served as the chief analyst and chief scout at Hoffenheim, Leipzig, and HSV, is the “Global Sports Director” of the “777 Football Group”. He will likely be involved in making sporting decisions at Hertha. The company will also get two seats on the Hertha supervisory board, which has five members.
All in all, the situation at Hertha BSC is dire, and the focus is now on survival. President Bernstein himself announced that he would bury the term “Big City Club.” The hope is that “777” can help turn things around, but it is unclear whether Hertha has found a “locust” or a “white knight” in its new investor.
