The clubs in the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga have very narrowly voted in favor of bringing in an investor. The DFL management can now enter into negotiations with external donors.
At the general meeting of the German Football League (DFL) with the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga, the proposal from the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board achieved the necessary two-thirds majority of at least 24 yes votes. The final result, which has now also been confirmed by the DFL:
24 Yes
10 No
2 abstentions
Close outcome leads to the question: How did Martin Kind vote for Hannover 96?
It should still remain exciting: Hannover 96 eV had instructed Martin Kind, managing director of the outsourced KGaA, to vote “no”. Kind is considered a supporter and he did not want to make his voting behavior public. When asked by Sportschau after the meeting, Kind said: “It was a secret election.” Bayern Munich’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said that the situation in Hanover will be discussed in the meeting “was not an issue”.
Kind’s vote is not understandable because, according to information from the Sportschau, a secret vote using an analogue method with ballot papers and an urn had been requested and decided upon. Some clubs were concerned that their voting behavior could be traceable with electronic voting. The DFL leadership with managing directors Lenz and Merkel are currently reporting in a press conference about the meeting, in which DFL supervisory board chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke was absent due to illness.
Some clubs had doubts – but the votes against were not enough
The general meeting in a hotel at Frankfurt Airport was scheduled for 11 a.m., but started late. The Presidium and the Supervisory Board had submitted a request that the two DFL managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel should negotiate with potential investors and then submit a final offer to the Presidium.
With the entry of an investor, the DFL leadership wants to further develop its business model and make the two leagues more digital and international. There is broad consensus among the clubs that this is the right thing to do. Some clubs had doubts about whether an investor should be brought in – but the votes against and abstentions were not enough.
How the clubs voted
The following clubs have made their consent to the entry of an investor public: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen, 1. FC Heidenheim, VfL Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, Mainz 05, SC Paderborn, SpVgg Greuther Fürth and Schalke 04 .
Public rejection came from four clubs: 1. FC Cologne, SC Freiburg, FC St. Pauli, Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Wanted to abstain: VfL Osnabruck.
There is uncertainty regarding: 1. FC Union Berlin (criticizes the application as wrong, calls for a postponement, but does not mention voting behavior), Hannover 96 (managing director Martin Kind is actually in favor, but the parent club of the spun-off KGaA asked managing director Martin Kind to vote “no”. , see above).
The following have not yet commented publicly on voting behavior: FC Augsburg, Darmstadt 98, Hertha BSC, Eintracht Braunschweig, SV Elversberg, Hamburger SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Karlsruher SC, Holstein Kiel, 1. FC Magdeburg, 1. FC Nürnberg, Hansa Rostock, SV Wehen Wiesbaden.
Mainz says “yes”, Düsseldorf says “no”
After the meeting, Mainz 05 confirmed that they had voted “yes”. Stefan Hofmann, chairman of the Bundesliga club, said: “It wasn’t with complete conviction, but it was the best alternative.” One of the “no” votes came from Fortuna Düsseldorf, CEO Alexander Jobst confirmed to Sportschau that he had followed an instruction from the club’s committees: “We voted ‘no’.”
DFL wants a billion – but has to give up money for 20 years
The general conditions for possible investor entry:
- Around one billion euros should come from the investor.
- In return, around eight percent of the income from the marketing rights should go to the investor. The marketing rights are to be bundled in a yet-to-be-founded subsidiary of the DFL called “MediaCo”.
- The term of the cooperation and also the payments to the investor is 20 years.
The supporters of the investor entry hope that the partner with money as well as a network and knowledge will improve the marketing of the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga and thus increase income. With the permanent deduction of eight percent of revenue, the DFL would have to rely on an increase in revenue overall to offset the obligation to the investor.
The concern of many critics: Will the “red lines” promised by the two DFL managing directors Lenz and Merkel hold? According to the DFL, the investor should have no influence on the design of the game plan, should not be able to move games abroad against the wishes of the clubs or introduce playoffs in the Bundesliga. All of this remains in the hands of the clubs and the DFL, says the management. However, 1. FC Cologne and many active fan scenes criticize that private equity companies, with their high return expectations, could at least have indirect influence.
The two DFL managing directors Steffen Merkel (l.) and Marc Lenz
decision with Potential for division
As with the failed deal in May, there was opposition from the 2nd Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director Fernando Carro had indirectly threatened to split off the Bundesliga from the 2nd Bundesliga.
Even if this is difficult to implement organizationally, other points of contention could arise, such as power relations in the committees, the weighting of voting rights or the distribution of money.