["Eisenfuß" Eilts]

SAP founder and billionaire Dietmar Hopp wants a Bundesliga team in the region Mannheim.
The patron of TSG Hoffenheim, which he brought from a lower league
than district league to Regionalliga in the last 15 years, has big plans.
He wants TSG Hoffenheim, SV Sandhausen and Astoria Walldorf to fusionate to one team
and bring it to Bundesliga in the next 3years.
Furthermore he plans to invest 50 million € for a new stadium
with a capacity of 30000.

DFL brought him on the idea to build a club by fusionating with other teams,
because they said to Hopp, that the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadium (5000 seats),
he donated the club in 1999, is not ready for the Bundesliga.
He also thinks about involving tradional team Waldhof Mannheim in his project.

source: spiegel.de (German)

[Alex_K]

My prediction: bankruptcy in 3 to 4 years.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

It would be kinda cool if it spectacularly failed.

Except for the fans and players and staff

[Alex_K]

Originally Posted by The Old Lady Hertha

Except for the fans

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

[aloisius]

Originally Posted by Alex_K

My prediction: bankruptcy in 3 to 4 years.

Only if he would saddle them with expensive players and then walk away

Is that what you’re predicting?

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Originally Posted by Alex_K

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

Yea I shuda put that in "quotes"

[Alex_K]

Originally Posted by aloisius

Only if he would saddle them with expensive players and then walk away

Is that what you’re predicting?

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Originally Posted by Alex_K

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

Yea that was a disaster, TeBe Berlin...good thing you reminded me about that. That team should still be Berlin's 2nd or 3rd team (equal to or just behind Union back in the day). I still think they could have gone to the Bundesliga if they hadn't wasted so much money on the Legionaires...

[ohk4]

Originally Posted by Alex_K

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

hasn't he been with Hoffenheim for 15 years now? I mean come on, he paid for the stadium. There are plenty of stadiums with people's names on it because they did something nice for the city/club - just like he did. From what I hear so far it sounds like he will do things with some sense. And the greater Mannheim area has a lot of people/money/potential. Where the problems will arise is that his USA/British model will rub a lot of people the wrong way here.

[footyfan1]

Originally Posted by The Old Lady Hertha

Yea that was a disaster, TeBe Berlin...good thing you reminded me about that. That team should still be Berlin's 2nd or 3rd team (equal to or just behind Union back in the day). I still think they could have gone to the Bundesliga if they hadn't wasted so much money on the Legionaires...

Oh my. TeBe was a disaster. And I hated them for poaching Sasa Ciric from 1. FC Nuernberg at that time.

Talk about proof that you can't simply buy success!!!

You can have all the money in the world, but if you don't know that you're doing with it.........

Well, you know that saying about "A fool and his money"???

If you want an even better example than TeBe, look no further than my favorite club.