Protests after DFL decision
Fans are threatening Bundesliga clubs with their biggest weapon
December 15, 2023, 6:00 p.m
The football clubs in the DFL have cleared the way for a strategic partner. Many fans don’t want to accept that. Coaches also comment. Former Bundesliga goalkeeper Richard Golz calls for more transparency. This weekend, the focus is particularly on Kiel.
This comes as little surprise. Many football fans want to express their dissatisfaction with the DFL’s decision for an investor deal with a boycott this weekend. “We are not prepared to stand idly by and watch the sell-out of German football. In order to make it clear that the much-hyped 12th man nationwide is not prepared to be used as part of the bargaining chips for the DFL deal with dubious investors, we will remain silent for twelve minutes,” he said it in a statement from Germany’s fan scenes published by several fan groups.
At the general meeting on Monday, the German Football League received a mandate from the professional clubs to begin concrete negotiations with a strategic marketing partner. A financial investor should pay up to one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The contract should have a maximum term of 20 years.
If it stays quiet in the stadium for twelve minutes, “it will quickly become noticeable and audible for us,” said coach Sebastian Hoeneß, who will be competing against FC Bayern with VfB Stuttgart on Sunday. “Both have their place. The art lies in bringing both together,” he said at a press conference in Stuttgart. On the one hand, it’s about not losing touch with international football, but also “definitely not losing contact” with the fans, who are “everything crucial.” “It’s a fine line.” You have to listen very carefully to what the fans’ concerns are.
Alonso refers to the football jungle
“We respect the tradition historically, but we want to develop German football,” emphasized colleague Xabi Alonso from league leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen. “We have fans in Leverkusen, but also in Spain, Argentina and Japan. We have to have a perspective to keep the tradition, but also to develop a vision because we are fighting in a football jungle, with La Liga, Premier League , League A and Serie A.” The Werkself welcome Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
The lively fan culture in Germany is a unique selling point, the fans write. “But that is precisely why our participation in the Bundesliga product is also our greatest weapon! We have our share of the value of professional football in our own hands,” the statement says. “We see the investor entry as a fundamental attack on the grassroots popular sport of football in this country. The officials may be able to sell off media rights, but we can still influence the shares we contribute to the Bundesliga product ourselves.”
Richard Golz: “Clubs and DFL have to face protests”
The fan scenes announced: “We will pool our resources collectively in the fight against the DFL’s greed and arbitrariness. The league’s managing directors could still stop the disastrous investment project. We will keep a close eye on this path!” In an interview with capital.de, former Bundesliga goalkeeper Richard Golz expressed his understanding for the upcoming protests. “Clubs and the DFL now have to face this. There’s no point in dealing with the issue defensively,” he said. “That’s why I don’t believe in the fact that the vote was held secretly. We can now see in the case of Hannover 96 how this can become a political issue.”
This weekend, particular attention will not only be on the Bundesliga games, but also on the second division match between Holstein Kiel and Hannover 96 on Saturday (8:30 p.m./Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de).
In the days after the secret vote, the guests from the Lower Saxony state capital presented themselves as a hopelessly divided bunch. In the close vote per investor, the decisive vote most likely came from Hannover 96. The club was represented at the DFL meeting by the majority shareholder Martin Kind. The club, which was at odds with Kind’s side, had instructed the 79-year-old to vote against the deal. However, based on the names of the clubs that are said to have voted no, there are great doubts as to whether Kind did so.
“It probably won’t be able to be clarified, but it puts a strain on the whole issue, including 50+1. I think we need as much transparency as possible, not just now. That’s exactly why the vote shouldn’t have been held in secret,” he explained former goalkeeper Golz and hit the core.