The recent victory against Stuttgart gave Hertha BSC new courage. But reports about the financially precarious situation make it clear that the future of the Berliners is also economically uncertain.

Hertha BSC has admitted contact with the DFL on the difficult financial and investor issue, but did not comment substantively on a media report about economic problems and impending licence difficulties. “We are in regular contact with the DFL regarding both the ongoing licensing procedure and the content of the partnership we have entered into with our investor 777 Partners,” the Berlin Bundesliga football club said on Monday when asked.

“Both topics need to be discussed and clarified in compliance with all legal requirements – in particular the 50+1 rule – and content-related requirements. However, we will not comment further on these ongoing processes or on speculation in the media at this time,” the Hertha statement continued. The DFL pointed out that it does not comment on licensing documents of individual clubs in ongoing proceedings.

The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had previously written that Hertha could be threatened with the withdrawal of its Bundesliga licence by the German Football League in view of its strained economic situation. Without naming names, the newspaper quoted a DFL source according to which Hertha was “the worst case we’ve ever had” in the licence issue.

According to the report, the Berliners’ new deal with the investor 777 Partners is still under close scrutiny. The primary question is whether the engagement with the US company violates the 50+1 rules, which limit the influence of financial backers in German professional football.

It is undisputed that the Berlin club is in an enormously difficult economic situation. Without the €100 million injection of funds announced by 777 Partners, the DFL’s licensing requirements, which are supposed to be fulfilled by 30 June, cannot be met. If the deal with the US financial backer fails due to formal objections, the Berlin club will be threatened with the withdrawal of its licence to play in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga.

A drop to at least the regional league is the threat. Hertha managing director Thomas E. Herrich recently admitted that the current Bundesliga bottom team was a “restructuring case”.