“I was born with blue and white bedclothes,” says Dr. Thomas Wüstefeld (52) with a smile. It was due to his father’s passion. He was a Schalke fan.
When it came to soccer, the entrepreneur (“sanaGroup”) knew very quickly what he wanted. At the age of four he laced the shoes for Arminia Fuhrbach (in the district of Göttingen). Two years later the great aunt from Altona went to HSV in the Volksparkstadion. The beginning of a passion.
Wüstefeld: “I’ve had the diamond in my heart since I was a child.”
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Now he and his holding company CaLeJo will take over 5.11 percent of the shares in HSV Fußball AG from Klaus-Michael Kühne (84). The deal is still subject to approval by the general meeting of HSV Fußball AG.
There won’t be any problems. Marcell Jansen (35), the president of the largest shareholder HSV eV (holds 75.67% in Fußball AG) and chairman of the supervisory board, is one of the engines behind the takeover.
Kühne (previously 20.44%) has been trying to get rid of his shares for around three years. There were several discussions with potential interested parties. None was brought to an end.
Until now. The negotiations dragged on for a few months. In addition to Jansen, Markus Frömming, the Kühne representative on the supervisory board, was one of the central initiators.
The Kühne Holding AG comment was correspondingly: “It has been our wish for a long time that the shareholder base was broadened and another shareholder gained.”
Kühne will apparently sell his shares for less than his purchase price. Speculations that the billionaire would only receive the symbolic price of one euro per share are denied by those involved.
While the entrepreneur has been emphasizing for a long time that he lost the fun at HSV (“I got lost too”), Wüstefeld is full of euphoria.
He is a lifetime member of HSV and also followed the club’s general meeting in August live in the stadium. He fully supports the new Jansen concept “United 2025”. He sees the return of the football professionals in the Bundesliga as a project with prospects. And not as a mandatory target for 2022.
The Hamburg medical entrepreneur has been friends (initially) with Jansen for some time now. During the corona pandemic, they got involved in projects and in the “HygieneCircle”.
Wüstefeld has also been a business partner of HSV since Corona. With its sophisticated PCR diagnostics, the professionals are tested for the virus super-quickly and super-precisely. The result is already available after 28 minutes.
Wüstefeld’s company also cooperates with VfL Wolfsburg and Hertha BSC on PCR diagnostics.
What is left of the deal for HSV?
Certainly a new partner who wants to contribute fresh and with positive vigor. Otherwise, the commitment of Jansen and Frömming rather pays off for Kühne. As long as desired, Kühne can sell shares. However, fresh money does not flow into the HSV fund.