Karl Hopfner
{{Short description|German football executive (born 1952)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Karl Hopfner
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| office = President of FC Bayern München e.V. and Chairman of the supervisory board of FC Bayern München AG
| term_start = 2 May 2014
| term_end = 25 November 2016
| predecessor = Uli Hoeneß
| successor = Uli Hoeneß
| office2 = Senior Vice President of FC Bayern München e.V. and member of the supervisory board of FC Bayern München AG
| term_start2 = 1 February 2013
| term_end2 = 2 May 2014
| predecessor2 = Dr. Fritz Scherer
| successor2 = Rudolf Schels
| office3 = Deputy Chairman of the Executive board for FC Bayern München AG
| term_start3 = 2002
| term_end3 = 2013
| predecessor3 = —
| successor3 = Jan-Christian Dreesen
| office4 = Managing director of the Sport-Werbe GmbH
| term_start4 = 1995
| term_end4 = 2002
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| office5 = Managing director of the FC Bayern München e.V.
| term_start5 = 1983
| term_end5 = 1995
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|8|28|df=y}}
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Karl Hopfner (born 28 August 1952) is a German football executive who has worked for Bayern Munich. In addition to his role at Bayern Munich, he is on UEFA's committee for club tournaments, a member of the board of the Deutsche Fußball Liga and the German Football Association. He is known for turning around the club's finances when the club had massive debts when he was first hired in 1983. Hopfner was elected President of the FC Bayern München eV.
Career
Hopfner applied for Managing Director of the FC Bayern München eV in 1982 after seeing a "local" job ad.{{cite news|last=Eichler|first=Christian|title=Der Geldmacher|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/sportpolitik/karl-hopfner-der-geldmacher-11960704.html|accessdate=16 November 2012|newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|date=15 November 2012|language=German}} He eventually got the job and started the position in 1983.{{cite news|last=Mehl|first=Tilmann|title=Hoeneß-Nachfolger: Wer ist Karl Hopfner?|url=http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/sport/fc-bayern/Hoeness-Nachfolger-Wer-ist-Karl-Hopfner-id29216957.html|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Augsburger Allgemeine|date=17 March 2014|language=German|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318215453/http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/sport/fc-bayern/Hoeness-Nachfolger-Wer-ist-Karl-Hopfner-id29216957.html|archive-date=18 March 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Designierter Bayern-Präsident: Hopfner soll Hoeneß ersetzen|url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/karl-hopfner-soll-hoeness-als-bayern-praesident-beerben-a-958767.html|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=14 March 2014|language=German}}{{cite news|title=Hopfner soll neuer Präsident des FC Bayern München werden|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/hoeness-nachfolger-hopfner-soll-neuer-praesident-des-fc-bayern-muenchen-werden-1.1913230|accessdate=19 March 2014|newspaper=Süddeutsche Zeitung|date=14 March 2014|language=German}} He eventually became managing director of FC Bayern München Sport-Werbe GmbH and eventually, from 2002, a member of the vorstand of FC Bayern München AG. He was in–charge of finance as part of his role on the vorstand. He was set to leave the club at the end of 2012 for health reasons.{{cite news|title=Hopfner verlässt den Bayern-Vorstand|url=https://www.kicker.de/hopfner-verlaesst-den-bayern-vorstand-573983/artikel|access-date=28 August 2012|newspaper=kicker|date=28 August 2012|language=German}}{{cite news|title=Petr Jiracek unterschreibt bis 2016|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/transfer-beim-hamburger-sv-petr-jiracek-unterschreibt-bis-1.1451912|accessdate=31 August 2012|newspaper=Süddeutsche Zeitung|date=29 August 2012|language=German}} However, at the club's annual general meeting on 15 November 2012, Hopfner was elected as Senior Vice President of FC Bayern München eV.{{cite news|title=FC Bayern mit Rekord-Umsatz - Hoeneß wiedergewählt|url=https://www.kicker.de/fc-bayern-mit-rekord-umsatz---hoeness-wiedergewaehlt-577813/artikel|access-date=16 November 2012|newspaper=kicker|date=15 November 2012|language=German}} Bayern announced on 26 September 2012 that Jan-Christian Dreesen would replace Hopfner on the vorstand.{{cite news|title=Dreesen wird Finanzvorstand beim FC Bayern|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/neuer-finanzvorstand-beim-fc-bayern-jan-christian-dreesen-folgt-karl-hopfner-1.1480025|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Süddeutsche Zeitung|date=26 September 2012|language=German}} Dreesen took over on 1 February 2013.{{cite news|title=Einigung: Dreesen kommt im Februar|url=https://www.kicker.de/einigung_dreesen-kommt-im-februar-580209/artikel|access-date=18 March 2014|newspaper=kicker|date=12 January 2013|language=German}} Following the resignation of Uli Hoeneß, Hopfner was announced as the candidate to become the new President of FC Bayern München e.V.{{cite news|title=Karl Hopfner soll Bayern-Präsident werden|url=https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/fc-bayern-muenchen/article125826348/Karl-Hopfner-soll-Bayern-Praesident-werden.html|accessdate=14 March 2014|newspaper=Die Welt|date=14 March 2014|language=German}} The election was held on 2 May 2014 at the extraordinary general meeting.{{cite news|title=Hainer und Hopfner führen die Bayern|url=http://www.rp-online.de/sport/fussball/bayern-muenchen/herbert-hainer-und-karl-hopfner-werden-nachfolger-von-uli-hoeness-aid-1.4107680|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Rheinische Post|date=15 March 2014|language=German}} The result was that he would succeed Hoeneß as the new club president.{{cite news|title=Hopfner wird zum Präsidenten gewählt|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/hoeness-abschied-vom-fc-bayern-das-war-es-noch-nicht-1.1949365-2|accessdate=2 May 2014|newspaper=Süddeutsche Zeitung|date=2 May 2014|language=German}} During his career at Bayern, Hopfner was a member of the board of the Deutsche Fußball Liga{{cite news|title=Reinhard Rauball bleibt DFL-Präsident|url=https://www.kicker.de/reinhard-rauball-bleibt-dfl-praesident-541259/artikel|access-date=18 March 2014|newspaper=kicker|date=18 August 2010|language=German}} and the German Football Association{{cite news|title=Hopfners Liebesdienst am FC Bayern: "Nicht so vorgestellt"|url=http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.designierter-praesident-hopfners-liebesdienst-am-fc-bayern-nicht-so-vorgestellt.4680d83f-a686-4ffb-8546-42b94f1a9cac.html|accessdate=19 March 2014|newspaper=Abendzeitung|date=17 March 2014|agency=Deutsche Presse-Agentur|language=German}} and also sits on the club commission for UEFA.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopfner, Karl}}
Category:FC Bayern Munich board members
Category:German chairpersons of corporations
Category:German chief executives
Category:Chief operating officers
Category:Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany