Petition to Oust Werder Bremen’s Chief Personnel Executive Gains Momentum

Members of Werder Bremen have launched a petition aimed at the removal of chief personnel executive Clemens Fritz. The 45-year-old Fritz faces significant criticism as the club continues to struggle athletically, and his administration has encountered challenges in fulfilling its administrative duties.

Under the slogan “Enough is Enough,” the petition has garnered 3,600 signatures from SVW club members, demanding that the supervisory board convene a special meeting to assess Fritz’s performance. Club tradition dictates that if 10 percent of the membership signs a petition, the supervisory board is obliged to address the request. Currently, this threshold translates to approximately 7,000 signatures.

In comments to Bremen’s Deichstube fan site, Club President Hubertus Hess-Grunewald acknowledged the seriousness with which the board is treating the petition. He noted, however, that there are still bureaucratic processes to navigate, even once the required signatures are collected. Additionally, any performance review conducted would not be able to offer binding recommendations.

“Sporting failures have led to heightened frustration and concern among our members,” Hess-Grunewald stated in the interview. “We take this matter very seriously and have acknowledged the petition. The request will be reviewed before any organizational preparations for a general meeting can begin. While a special general meeting might facilitate discussion, it will not be able to make further decisions.”

Despite the petition, Hess-Grunewald expressed continued support for the management’s new direction since the summer. “The supervisory board fully endorses the new strategic approach and is actively involved in guiding this process in a critical and constructive manner,” he added. “We have confidence in Clemens to make the right decisions as the responsible managing director.”