PPresident Kay Bernstein of second division soccer club Hertha BSC died unexpectedly at the age of 43. The Berliners announced this on Tuesday. “The entire club, its committees and employees are stunned and deeply dismayed. The Hertha family mourns with Kay's survivors and their thoughts are with his family, friends and companions during this difficult time,” it said in a statement.
The association also asked that “the family’s privacy be respected after this terrible event.” Nothing was initially known about the circumstances.
“We were shocked and deeply shocked to hear the news of Kay Bernstein’s death,” wrote the German Football League on the X platform, formerly Twitter: “We mourn with the entire Hertha family and wish the relatives in particular a lot of strength!”
First ultra, then president
Bernstein was once the club's lead singer in the fan curve and was also socially involved at Hertha. At the general meeting on June 26, 2022, he was surprisingly elected president against the favored CDU politician Frank Steffel and another competitor.
He became the successor to Werner Gegenbauer, who had led the club for a long time. His election was also a slap in the face for the Hertha establishment, some of which blatantly wanted to push through their opponent, Frank Steffel.
A former Ultra at the helm of a club that was still playing in the Bundesliga at the time was a novelty. Bernstein always addressed problems clearly. He made the club and the office more approachable again. This became clear not only with his omnipresent Hertha training jacket, which he usually wore.
Hertha was shocked by the death. In the second Bundesliga, the Berliners are in seventh place after 17 match days. On Sunday, coach Pal Dardai's team will play the first game of the year against Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Olympic Stadium at home (1.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the second Bundesliga and on Sky).
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