A petition demanding a special assembly of members to review the leadership of Werder Bremen’s sporting director, Clemens Fritz, has evolved into a formal “Members’ Initiative,” despite resistance from club president Hubertus Hess-Grunewald. The initiative, fueled by over 7,600 signatures, aims to scrutinize both the sporting leadership and the presidency itself, but faces hurdles related to verification of membership and procedural requirements.
The online petition, titled “Enough is Enough! Extraordinary Members’ Assembly to Evaluate the Performance of C. Fritz,” initially focused on concerns surrounding Fritz’s management. However, the newly formed Members’ Initiative has broadened its scope to include a review of President Hess-Grunewald’s conduct and the processes surrounding recent appointments to the supervisory board, specifically the removal of Dirk Wintermann and Ulrike Hiller. Initiator Pascal, who has chosen to remain anonymous, stated the group intends to raise questions about the transparency of these decisions.
Even as the initiative has surpassed the threshold of 10 percent of Werder Bremen’s approximately 70,000 members required to trigger a special assembly, Hess-Grunewald has indicated he will not convene one. He cited concerns about the validity of signatures, including a significant number submitted anonymously, and questioned whether all signatories are, in fact, current members in good standing. According to Hess-Grunewald, the club’s statutes do not guarantee a vote on the dismissal of a managing director even if a special assembly were held.
Despite the anticipated rejection of a formal assembly, the initiative is pursuing alternative avenues to exert pressure and gather support. They have established an Instagram account to disseminate information and engaged a Frankfurt-based lawyer specializing in sports law. A fundraising campaign launched two weeks ago had raised €2,956 as of Thursday afternoon, intended to cover legal and organizational costs. However, the initiative has ruled out an immediate legal challenge, citing a lack of precedent in similar cases and the potential for a protracted court battle.
The initiative plans to request Werder Bremen provide a complete dataset of its membership roster to verify signatures. They intend to appoint a data protection officer to ensure compliance with privacy regulations. The process, however, is complicated by the requirement that verified signatures be submitted in physical form to the club’s headquarters, a logistical challenge given the large number of signatories. The initiative similarly proposed that Werder Bremen directly inform its members about the petition and the call for a special assembly, but this offer was declined by the club.
In response to the initiative’s efforts, President Hess-Grunewald stated that he and the club’s legal counsel, Henning Hofmann, have been in contact with the initiator, addressing questions regarding the club’s statutes. Hess-Grunewald indicated that the initiative repeatedly challenged the validity of those statutes, a position he does not support. He also highlighted the upcoming regular members’ assembly in November, where the election of the president will be on the agenda.
Hess-Grunewald further offered a “form-free member dialogue” with club officials to facilitate open communication, but this offer was not accepted by the initiative. He emphasized that the club cannot be obligated to disseminate individual member opinions to the entire membership, stating that such a practice would be impractical and not in the best interest of the majority of its nearly 70,000 members.
