An investor’s entry into the German Football League (DFL) is off the table – much to the delight of many fans who have massively protested against it. Thomas Kessen explains why it is a victory for fans and why he still does not see the Bundesliga at a disadvantage.
Mr. Kessen, do you need to bring the tennis balls for the stadium visit weekend get it out of your jacket pocket again?
I do not need to. I wouldn’t have taken any chocolate coins or remote-controlled cars with me either. You shouldn’t do that as a spokesman for a fan association. Restraint is required.
Even if you yourself have been a good stadium-goer in the past few weeks: the victory is yours. The German Football League (DFL) has distanced itself from the planned deal with the private equity company CVC – with reference to the fan protests. How big is your surprise?
I didn’t expect the deal to be buried so quickly. There is great joy because many fans in Germany put a lot of work and passion into preventing the deal.
DFL investor entry18.41
Do you feel something like satisfaction?
No gloating or malice, if that’s what you mean. It’s a victory for all fans of football.
Has anyone from the other side contacted you? Was there a call from the DFL?
Nothing happened at all. Zero contact. This has been the case throughout the entire process over the past few weeks.
Wasn’t the severity of the protests an expression of fans’ general discomfort with German football? Sign of an advanced process of alienation?
The commercialization of football has reached worrying levels. But the protests in recent weeks have conveyed a clear message: We don’t want investors. We want democratic participation and the 50+1 rule (according to which the majority of voting rights must belong to the association, editor’s note) is the essence of German professional football. That was all clearly addressed. The protests were therefore not an unspecific letting off of steam.
The victory of the fan curves can also be interpreted as follows: the DFL capitulates to the disruptors. Are the tennis ball throwers ultimately successful? blackmailer?
We reject the accusation of blackmail. This was about democratic participation in a multi-million dollar business. We were denied this participation through a series of tricks on the part of the DFL, and we resisted this.
© Thomas Bartilla
The failure of the investor deal may have a downside for you: the central marketing of the league would have been fixed for 20 years in the deal with CVC. Central marketing in football works in a similar way to state financial equalization in financial policy: the small ones participate in the income of the big ones. Now there is a risk of an ordeal. The wealthy like Bavaria or Dortmund could cancel the solidarity pact. How likely do you think this scenario is?
Bayern and Dortmund also still need opponents and want to keep the league exciting to a certain extent. Otherwise your business will also suffer. So nothing will happen. Incidentally, it is not the case that the small ones participate fully in the income of the big ones – the distribution of TV money within the DFL is highly unfair, and even with an investor deal, the big ones would have benefited far more than all the clubs outside the top 5 or Top 6 in the league.
The dispute over investor entry was overshadowed by a fundamental question: Who owns football? What is your answer?
German football is unique. It belongs to everyone who enjoys it. But it certainly doesn’t belong to those who just want to get a return from it.
What do you think makes German football so unique?
In the first and second leagues there are predominantly clubs that are run by their members. Despite all the commercialization, they are the ones who still have the power to make decisions using the 50+1 rule. This is grassroots democracy in the best sense. The members determine who controls the management and they are also consulted on policy issues. This is an asset worth protecting.
The central argument of the proponents of an investor entry was: Without outside capital, the Bundesliga will continue to lose its importance in international comparison. The gap to the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League, the financially strongest football league in the world, is only increasing. Do you deny that?
I don’t see German football losing its appeal. On the contrary. Recently there were more spectators in the stadiums of the second division than in those of the first on a match day. This shows that German football culture is not so much based on international competitiveness, but rather that identification with the respective club is crucial.
Nevertheless: With the exception of FC Bayern, no club can keep its best players. Even Dortmund and Leipzig have to let go of their greatest talents. As a football fan, you can’t like that either.
Why do people in Germany go to the stadium? But not because they want to see a superstar. It’s about the interaction between the team and fans, the stadium experience, the atmosphere. The social power of football can be felt in the stadium.
Press review DFL Investor6:33
Isn’t that a very romantic idea? Football is about success. The whole system is programmed like this, from the F-youth to the professionals. How do you want to free yourself from this logic?
Counter question: Who benefits from international success in the Bundesliga? But only clubs that are already at the top anyway. The distribution of TV money from European competitions is extremely unfair. This merely cements the prevailing conditions.
How a league can disappear into insignificance can be seen in the Netherlands. The Eredivisie was once a league that people looked at in Europe. Today it is just a training facility for the top leagues. Athletically unappealing. Many fans look to England, Spain or Italy and have discovered new clubs there.
This is currently not an issue in Germany. I consider it a fringe phenomenon if someone happens to be a Manchester City fan. The local football clubs have deep local or regional roots. It will stay that way for now. You don’t have to tinker with German football and want to build a second Premier League.
The investor deal failed. But the DFL’s desire for money has certainly not been satisfied. How will it go on?
We are very relaxed. The next step is to award the TV rights. Let’s see how the DFL turns this into money. With the exception of the Premier League, many European leagues have recently struggled with declining revenue. This is another reason why it can mean great luck for German football that there are no investors on board. An investor wants returns. Lower TV income would have created pressure – the clubs might have had to cover the investor’s return from their own resources. This scenario is now off the table.