News : Relegated VfB Stuttgart is looking for a new president

A call last Monday, a few hours after the resignation of President Wolfgang Dietrich. He was "glad that he is finally gone," says a former VfB professional at the other end of the line. "Erwin Staudt was president in my time, he did some things wrong, but you always had the feeling that there is an honest person at work who acts to the best of my knowledge and belief, and Dietrich was the opposite."

This one voice is perhaps not necessarily representative, but quite indicative of the mood at VfB. After the Bundesliga relegation, after a chaotic general meeting, after the subsequent resignation of President Dietrich, the club faces the fundamental new beginning. And he seems urgently needed.

As unclear as to who the new guy is, there seems to be a broad consensus that in many ways he has to be different from Dietrich. Similarly, the green member of parliament Jürgen Walter to speak, which goes to the VfB since the 1966/1967 season: "You need a sympathizer, someone who takes the club as a whole and not constantly meddling in the daily business."

Supervisory Board in duty

The VfB now have the great opportunity to find a president, the "two fortunes" - sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger and sports director Sven Mislintat - leaves a free hand. Above all, however, the supervisory board is now under obligation. "It's a mystery to me how you could suggest Dietrich, because in the current board there are some who have chosen Infantino as VfB president."

Christian Prechtl, operator of the VfB blog "By the way", formulates a similar requirement profile. The new had to "first fill in the ditches that his predecessor tore open". He should act independently, without ever having to take account of the rope teams, "who act behind the scenes for decades." Prechtl, who also writes regularly for SPIEGEL ONLINE and is known as a vehement critic Dietrich, wishes for a president who "appears modest and considers whether as a member strongest club in Baden-Württemberg not also has a social responsibility."

But as little controversy as it seems in Stuttgart, as the new VfB president should be - who will be, is in the stars. No topic is apparently the former Green Party chairman Cem Özdemir, who is indeed hard-core VfB fan and formerly acted repeatedly for club posts, but feels under-rated as a member of parliament and his attention to higher political offices to lay. In tailored to Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann national association, he would be the logical successor to the 71-year-old or the Lord Mayor of Stuttgart Fritz Kuhn.

Berthold and Buchwald show interest

Meanwhile, Rainer Adrion has already stated that he wants to be active in an advisory role. The longtime VfB junior coach had named on Sunday with a factual, but sharp speech, the deficits Dietrich and would be an obvious occupation as a non-specialist.

Remained the ex-players. Over the past few years, Karl Allgöwer has repeatedly stated that nothing and nobody pushes him into a leadership role. This should have changed little.

The case is different with Thomas Berthold and Guido Buchwald, who in the winter was the first public critic of Dietrich and his Adlatus Michael Reschke practiced. His supervisory board colleagues forced him to resign. But while Berthold is missing the standing in the club, Buchwald has probably lifted his finger too often in the past few years when items had to be distributed.

Stay Jürgen Klinsmann, who would not be averse to working in Germany again. But even the former national coach and US national coach should have no interest in volunteering. So it's a good thing that VfB has been looking for a new CEO for a long time. Robert Schäfer (formerly Dusseldorf) is said to have stood under Dietrich shortly before signing the contract. Now the cards are shuffled.

Will Klinsmann become CEO instead of president? That would be a step forward for the VfB, who then with Hitzlsperger and Klinsmann two directors with expertise and stable smell and could look for a president who takes over the traditional traditional representation in Stuttgart, but withdraws from the operative business but.

In any case, VfB-Basis seems to have had enough of grandiose promises and sinfully expensive transfers: on Sunday, two people were applauded by Adrion and Hitzlsperger for seriousness and sustainability - and thus for a clear break with the short era of Dietrich. Atmospheric, this is a good basis for a club that is well advised to take time with the presidential search. What it leads to, if you are wrong, they have just learned.