Deal collapsed – no investor in the DFL

The DFL has canceled the planned entry of an investor. “A successful continuation of the process no longer seems possible in view of current developments,” said the DFL on behalf of executive committee spokesman Hans-Joachim Watzke.

German professional football is in the midst of a breaking point. “The viability of a successful contract conclusion in terms of financing the 36 clubs can no longer be guaranteed given the circumstances in the league association with its 36 member clubs“, said Watzke. The presidium therefore unanimously came to the conclusion that “to exercise its final discretion in the form of not continuing the process or bringing it to a conclusion“. In the opinion of the Presidium, any further votes would also be “do not bring a solution to the problem“. The potential investor CVC stated when asked by Sportschau that they would not comment on the failed deal.

Martin Kind’s vocal behavior caused controversy

In the past few weeks there have been many protests by active fans in the stadiums, some of which led to long interruptions in the game. More and more clubs are also demanding that there should be another vote on the possible entry of an investor. The outcome of the vote in December was also crucial for the protests.

The suspicion remains that the majority of the vote also relied on a yes from Hanover’s managing director Martin Kind, even though the parent club had called for a no. This poses a violation of the 50+1 rule, and fans and many clubs feared that the rule would be undermined. The DFL Presidium admitted that it should not be overlooked, “that this vote lacks broad acceptance due to the events surrounding Hannover 96“. Although the investor deal has now come to an end, the entire process continues to raise questions regarding the 50+1 rule – there is a risk of another test.

Federal Cartel Office wants to further examine 50+1 after the Hanover case

There are reservations about investors in general among active fans – but above all, the way the vote in December came about has been criticized. The suspicion remains that the majority of the vote also relied on a yes from Hanover’s managing director Martin Kind, even though the parent club had called for a no. This means there is a violation of the 50+1 rule, and fans and many clubs fear that the rule will be undermined. The entire process raises questions about 50+1.

At the initiative of the DFL, the Federal Cartel Office should examine the 50+1 rule. The end of the process was recently considered a formality after a compromise was found last year. This stipulated that the DFL would impose conditions for Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg, where 50+1 did not apply. In addition, there should be no new exceptions to the rule. But now the office announced in a letter to those involved in the proceedings that “To familiarize yourself with the latest developments regarding the DFL’s application of the 50+1 rule and then discuss how to proceed”. The letter is available to the sports show.

The procedure had dragged on after a request for bias, and several rulings by the European Court of Justice had to be taken into account. Now the situation in Hanover also plays a role in the assessment of the competition authorities. Association rules must be transparent, objective, precise and non-discriminatory, the Federal Cartel Office said upon request. Therefore, this must also be demonstrated in its practical application. “This handling can allow conclusions to be drawn as to whether the DFL is consistently and consistently pursuing the goals of the rule.”, the cartel office continued. The exact form of the rule is now still open.