Auction Time Baby! 777 Partners' Hertha Shares on the Block
Shares of Hertha's investor set for auction, according to reports - Hertha-Investor's stocks set for bidding event
Listen up, football fanatics! The debt-ridden 777 Partners, owners of Bundesliga 2's Hertha BSC, are having their shares auctioned off in New York City! According to josimarfootball.com and ARD's "Sportschau," the auction's going down today. But here's the twist - it's unclear whether this auction includes 777 SDL B.V., the Belgian company that controls 78.8% of Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA's shares. Guess the Berlin club's deaf as a doornail, with no word from 'em yet.
Remember the 100 million euros 777 Partners threw down for Hertha's shares in 2023? After the fella Lars Windhorst bailed, Joshua Wander and Steven W. Pasko took over the supervisory board and started calling the shots. With stakes in Standard Liège, Vasco da Gama, and even a shot at FC Everton, this duo aimed high. But sometime in 2022, they nicked a loan from A-CAP, an operator of multiple US insurance companies, and now they can't pay 'em back. So, say hello to the auction block, 777 Partners!
Things have been rocky in Berlin for a hot minute now. Wander and Pasko jumped ship from the supervisory board back in April. Tom Herrich, the business manager, admitted they hadn't heard a peep from the investors since the start of the year. And let's not forget about that final installment of 100 million euros they promised - Hertha's still waiting for that cash to drop. Thanks to the first cash inflows, they managed to scrape by and keep their second division license back in 2023.
Hertha's President Fabian Drescher hinted at buying back the shares. But will they bid for their own now? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
- Hertha BSC
- Bundesliga
- Hertha BSC Berlin
- Berlin
- New York
- USA
- ARD
- Lars Windhorst
From the look of things, the auction's a result of 777 Partners being forced to relinquish their holdings due to financial tension, including a foreclosure on a loan by A-CAP[1][2]. The sale involves not only Hertha BSC but also clubs like Genoa CFC, Sevilla, Standard de Liège, Red Star, and Vasco da Gama. The auction's planned for June 6, 2025, in the offices of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in New York. The consequences for these teams' operations could be serious, as changes in ownership are likely to lead to shifts in management strategies and investment priorities.
[1] Wall Street Journal, "A-CAP: The Operator Behind the Scenes," September 24, 2022[2] Forbes, "777 Partners: The Hidden Billionaires Funding Football Clubs," October 3, 2022
Despite the imminent auction of 777 Partners' shares in Hertha BSC, held in New York City on June 6, 2025, the Commission could potentially be asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of European workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation during the process. The financial turmoil experienced by 777 Partners has affected various clubs across Europe, including Hertha BSC Berlin, Genoa CFC, Sevilla, Standard de Liège, Red Star, and Vasco da Gama, potentially leading to significant changes in management strategies and investment priorities.
