Controversial VfB-President received 86 percent of the votes
After many restless months, Claus Vogt's tenure as chairman of VfB Stuttgart comes to an end at the members' meeting. He accepts the clear decision but is emotional. However, this is not the only personnel consequence in the presidium.
Claus Vogt was rejected as president of the Bundesliga football club VfB Stuttgart with a large majority. At the eagerly anticipated members' meeting of the registered association, more than 2000 vote-entitled persons voted against the incumbent, who was elected until 2025. A two-thirds majority was required for his dismissal. "Of course, this affects me personally. I have given everything for the VfB in the past six years," said Vogt after the decision.
Vice Rainer Adrion also resigned prematurely, although only 70% voted against him. "The trust in me is no longer there," said the 70-year-old. The duo was accused of a lack of trust and discord in the presidium due to the alleged breach of a long-term promise regarding the professional department's separation. This promise was that the chairman of the club would always be the chairman of the supervisory board. This is now being led by Tanja Gönner.
Parts of the organized fan scene felt betrayed after the loss of this position following the entry of sports car manufacturer Porsche as an investor. They see the influence of the members dwindling - and also demanded the resignation of the entire presidium due to a lack of transparency.
VfB celebrates wild comeback win
Last year, the meeting had already voted on Vogt's tenure, and only 28% voted for his premature end. VfB, with 107,000 members, is the largest club in Baden-Württemberg. The significance of the decision was noticeable from the start in the Porsche Arena. The elections were originally scheduled as points 12 and 13 on the agenda but were moved to the fourth position due to a successful motion.
The VfB team, meanwhile, achieved a spectacular comeback win on their Japan tour. Against the Japanese first division team Kyoto Sanga FC, the team coached by Sebastian Hoeneß turned a 0:3 deficit into a 5:3 (0:2) win. Newcomer Justin Diehl opened the comeback (57'), and before that, VfB had only scored once. The score was 2:13 after an hour, and two other offensive newcomers, Ermedin Demirovic and Nick Woltemade, were already substituted at halftime.
With a changed team, Jamie Leweling (67'), Thomas Kastanaras (73'), Moussa Cisse (79'), and Luca Raimund (90') scored the winning goal. Raimund scored from 20 meters with his weak right foot in a dreamlike manner under the crossbar, and none of the five goalscorers were older than 23 years. On Thursday, the Swabians face another test in Japan as part of their Japan tour against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The Hartemath against Athletic Bilbao is scheduled for August 10, and the VfB faces Double-Sieger Bayer Leverkusen in the Supercup on August 17 for the first title of the new season.
Following the members' meeting, the search for a new chairman for VfB Stuttgart commences, given Claus Vogt's resignation and the club's connection to Japan. Despite their successful comeback win against Kyoto Sanga FC in Japan, with Ermedin Demirovic and Nick Woltemade among the scorers, the team will face a challenging match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima during their Japan tour.
In light of the controversies surrounding the presidium, some critics have even called for a complete overhaul, including the departure of Tanja Gönner as the head of the supervisory board, who now leads the club's professional department following the breach of the long-term promise.
