“We will need it, and that seems to me quite clear from the many discussions that I have had with virologists, researchers and specialists, of a lot of patience. And that is a virtue that was not given to everyone ”. Dietmar Hopp, the man of the moment who at the beginning of the month was spoken of as the most hated figure in the Bundesliga and is now seen above all as the owner of CureVac that led to a dispute between Trump and Merkel over the vaccine for the new coronavirus, gave an interview to site official from Hoffenheim, the club he owns with 98%, where he spoke not only of stopping in the Bundesliga but also of the advance of the global pandemic worldwide.

“Most people are not very aware of my private financial involvement in the biotechnology sector, despite having already invested around 1.5 billion euros in a series of startups in that segment. I invested in CureVac when I was still a very young company because I had and still have innovative ideas and scientific approaches with regard to vaccine development. The hope at that time was to find a cure for cancer. We want to make a contribution to stop a horrible disease like this. That was and will always be my motivation ”, he stressed, before addressing the dispute between the United States and Germany to guarantee the exclusive vaccine for the coronavirus that is being worked on.

“We want to develop a vaccine for everyone and not just one country, for certain classes or for certain parts of our planet. This vaccine, once successfully developed and tested, will not be an instrument of speculation or power, it will help to contain a global crisis. That is my wish in relation to this situation ”, guaranteed the German who became a billionaire when he founded SAP SE.

Dietmar Hopp also spoke of Bundesliga suspension, one of the last major European championships that has stopped and yet was close to having a final day behind closed doors last weekend.

“It is an absolutely necessary suspension because public and public health must come first. There can and should be no debate about this. Football cannot be isolated from society and that is why we must not claim any special treatment in this absolute crisis, in this exceptional situation. There are countless companies in this country that are closed and that also face financial problems but have to accept the restrictions and all the tensions that are being created. This also applies to football. Now is a moment of solidarity, a moment where the strongest must help the weakest ”, stressed.

“I hope that this expression and the obvious need for solidarity will find consensus among all the protagonists of the Bundesliga. For professional football, the question is simple: how should we sustain this expression of solidarity financially in order to find a good solution for clubs whose existence is more threatened by losses than other clubs with less problems. I sympathize with the idea of ​​a solidarity fund to combat this exceptional situation, no idea should be taboo here. We at Hoffenheim will have an idea of ​​how, as a club in this region, we can contribute ”, he added.