The general meeting of Fortuna Düsseldorf was held on Sunday. There was also an apology from the Ultras towards 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
On Friday, there were unpleasant scenes during Fortuna Düsseldorf’s home defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The Kaiserslautern team won 2-1 with a penalty kick in injury time.
The goal was scored in front of the Fortuna crowd. Too much for some Düsseldorf Ultras, who entered the interior and threatened Lauter players.
This was also a topic at the general meeting on Sunday. Ultras spokesman Bastian Skalnik spoke to those present and apologised on behalf of the group. He is quoted by Bild as saying: “It’s a no-go and not our standard for how we want to appear here in the stadium. On behalf of the Ultras Düsseldorf, we apologise to the board of directors, the supervisory board, all members and all fans of our team and the opposing team. We see ourselves as the heart of the curve, as an important part of the club. We don’t want to impose our head alone. We want to move forward together with the club, with the fans, with our Curve. We really want to have a successful second half of the season. Yes, we know that we have to take a step back. We are not a rabble-rousing Asi scene.”
In addition to the fan theme, the club also presented figures. For example, a negative annual result of €1.2 million was recorded for the period from 1 June 2021 to 30 June 2022. Arnd Hovemann, Chief Financial Officer, explained with regard to the Corona pandemic: “Over the almost three years that the pandemic has now dragged on, we have recorded a cumulative loss of 3.2 million euros. I can assure you that we got off very lightly compared to our competitors.”
Financially, Fortuna is doing well, and that is also true in sporting terms. They are currently seven points behind third place in the relegation play-off places. Klaus Allofs, Director of Sport & Communications, reports regarding new players in the winter: “I can imagine that some of you would like us to be active on the transfer market again now in order to strengthen ourselves further. We are convinced that we can achieve our goals with our current squad. We are constantly sounding out the market and keeping our eyes and ears open, but should new necessities arise due to an extraordinary opportunity or due to the injury situation or personnel changes, we would have to think about new commitments. Also, so that I don’t get on Arnd Hovemann’s bad side, I have to say quite clearly – all this only if Fortuna’s economic situation allows it. “
