leadership crisis - Resignation with Tears: Vogt is no longer President of VfB
"Claus Vogt could not hide his tears after being voted out as president of VfB Stuttgart. With a trembling voice, he bid farewell to the members and left the Porsche-Arena with his wife and children. A few minutes earlier, Rainer Adrion's tenure as vice-president had also come to an end. 86.03 percent of the attending members voted against Vogt - a three-quarters majority was required for his removal.
"Of course I'm disappointed, of course this hurts me personally, of course my heart is bleeding. But it's Democracy and the majority has decided. From now on, I'm just Claus and a VfB fan."
Unlike Vogt, Adrion did not necessarily have to leave. 70.02 percent of the attending members voted against him. He announced his departure nonetheless. "It's impossible to continue in any capacity after this loss of trust and this decision by the highest organ." He himself had decided to resign as soon as the 50-percent mark was reached.
The organized fan scene had expressed their dissent against Vogt and Adrion during the previous season with banners in the stadium of the Bundesliga team. The agenda points 12 and 13, which concerned the club leadership, were suddenly brought forward.
Broken promise
The background of the disputes is the alleged breach of a long-term promise regarding the separation of the professional department, in which the club president was to always be the chairman of the supervisory board. Since March, Tanja Gönner has taken over the CEO position in this supervisory committee.
Parts of the organized fan scene felt betrayed after the loss of this position following Porsche's entry as an investor. They saw the influence of the members dwindling - and demanded the resignation of the entire presidium due to a lack of transparency.
Even in the previous summer, the Ultras had set an ultimatum for Vogt and Co. "This is different this time," said Bjarne Friedrichsohn in his function as representative of the fan committee towards the former club chairman and his vice-president. "You've wasted the chance we gave you." After the decision was made, Adrion and Vogt left the podium and the event, which then proceeded much more harmoniously.
The managing director, Alexander Wehrle, presented a small profit after financially difficult years. The annual result of the VfB Stuttgart 1893 AG, which holds the professional football of the club, amounted to around 700,000 euros. He also spoke of a "black zero". The "financial turnaround" had been achieved.
The goal for the future is "Unity outside" to be shown. "We want and will have fewer construction sites in the club," said Wehrle to applause."
Ms. Tanja Gönners assumed the CEO position in the supervisory committee, following the alleged breach of a long-term promise regarding the separation of the professional department. Rainer Adrion expressed his feelings of betrayal from parts of the organized fan scene, who felt that the influence of the members was dwindling and demanded transparency. The management presented a small profit, marking a "financial turnaround" for VfB Stuttgart 1893 AG. Moreover, Wolfgang Dietrich, a representative from Baden-Württemberg, emphasized the importance of unity and fewer construction sites within the club. These developments took place amidst the leadership crisis at VfB Stuttgart, with both Claus Vogt and Rainer Adrion leaving their positions following vote-outs by the club members.
