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Criticism of the current leadership of FC Basel has reached a new dimension. Parallel to protests from creative fans who expressed their dissatisfaction with the current management of the club around President Bernhard Burgener and CEO Roland Heri Luft, a new group has been formed that now wants to participate. The association of concerned FCB fans operates under the motto “Yystoo for e FCB!”. Also included is the Muttenzerkurve, which three months ago demanded the resignation of Burgener and his teammates and which was also responsible for the protests of the fans.
Today the group is launching the homepage yystoo.ch, a kind of petition in which all fans who are not satisfied with the current situation can register by name. “The club’s management tries to play down the criticism,” says David Frey, who belongs to the group. We want to show how many do not agree with the current progress of the club and are worried about how things will go with FCB ”.
The protests of the fans against the leadership of the FCB are evident in Basel.
© Nicole Nars-Zimmer
Thorsten Fink and Eva Herzog vs. Burgener
“FC Basel is more than building a public limited company, a holding company and an association. It is an institution that needs to be preserved, ”the fans write in their policy document. FCB represents a complete region. “It belongs to the people who identify with it and in no case should it be the plaything of economic interests or the battlefield of legal disputes.” Since the acquisition by Burgener, FCB has suffered extensive damage on many levels.
There is no solution, according to the group: “Our wallet is too small for that.” But: “As fans, we are so concerned about our soccer club that we couldn’t see more.”
Although the group had only started collecting signatures last Friday, some prominent names were able to earn themselves as signatories for the first time. Among others, Basel State Councilor SP Eva Herzog, ballet director Richard Wherlock, Stadtoriginal -minu and former FCB coach Thorsten Fink make public their support for the group’s concerns.
Burgener to be removed from office as president
At the same time, “Yystoo” also wants to be directly active and points to a new member of the association’s board of directors at the next general assembly, which will take place next month. Burgener and Heri will be removed by vote. To do this, you must know the structure of FC Basel. The professional company is FC Basel 1893 AG. This is 75 percent owned by FC Basel Holding AG, in which Bernhard Burgener is the majority shareholder. Anyone who wants to take FCB’s Burgener out would have to buy his shares from him. However, a quarter of FC Basel 1893 AG belongs to the FC Basel 1893 club; Here, the board is regularly elected by the members at a general meeting.
And this is where “Yystoo” wants to start. “An independent board of directors should be elected without any connection to the parent company or AG,” says Frey. That would mean Burgener, Heri and Burgener’s longtime partner Peter von Büren shouldn’t be re-elected. It is not an unrealistic scenario. At the last annual general meeting a year ago, Burgener, currently the association president and board of directors, was shot through the arc with only 65% support.
Not confrontation, but the ability to criticize
Such a replacement would be, on the one hand, a strong symbolic sign. “Then you could address the criticism directly and you would be heard differently,” says Frey. Because the club president is also on the AG’s board of directors.
Last but not least, fans would have a crowbar in hand. The club is responsible for the amateur and youth teams and owns the rights to the name and logo of FC Basel. In theory, it could even ban the professional team from playing as FC Basel. “It is not about confrontation for us, but that criticism is heard and something changes,” says Frey. “Yystoo” emphasizes that they do not represent FCB nor do they want to influence operational decisions.
