Hertha BSC part ways with Zsolt Petry
Following several remarks made by goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry in an interview that the club was initially unaware of with Hungarian newspaper ‘Magyar Nemzet’, and after intense internal discussions and consultations, the Hertha BSC board has decided to relieve Zsolt Petry of his duties with immediate effect. Hertha BSC signed the Diversity Charta for German companies and actively promote values such as diversity and tolerance, because these values are important to us. The remarks made by Zsolt Petry as a club employee in the public eye to not respect these values.
"Zsolt Petry’s work over the years at Hertha BSC has always been greatly appreciated. He was always open, tolerant and prepared to help. He never acted in a homophobic or xenophobic way," said CEO Carsten Schmidt. "Even taking into account the finer details regarding the translation of his remarks, and the fact that several of Zsolt’s remarks from the interview were left out of the publication without consultation, we ultimately concluded that the remarks on the whole do not comply with Hertha BSC’s values. We thank Zsolt Petry for his work with the club and wish him all the best for the future," added the chairman.
Zsolt Petry’s statement: "I would like to stress that I am not homophobic or xenophobic. I deeply regret my comments about immigration politics and would like to apologise to all those seeking refuge here who I have insulted. I enjoyed working for Hertha BSC and respect their decision. I wish everyone at the club all the best for the future."