Bundesliga after fan protests
Bundesliga plans to vote on investor deal
As of: 9:17 a.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
“Without an investor, Hertha would be dead as a stone”
Hertha BSC fans protested against the German Football League’s investor plans with a never-ending rain of tennis balls. The game was suspended for more than half an hour. BILD’s deputy sports director Walter M. Straten classifies what is happening.
Protests by ultra groups are paralyzing more and more Bundesliga games. The fans are resisting the entry of an investor into the DFL. Some clubs are also rethinking. The association is now responding to an application from 1. FC Union.
Seven of nine Bundesliga games were interrupted last weekend due to the Ultras protests against the planned entry of a DFL investor. The DFL presidium around BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke (64) continued the negotiations unimpressed. A new vote of the 36 professional clubs recently requested by Stuttgart President Claus Günter Vogt (54) is strictly rejected – and not just for legal reasons, after the necessary two-thirds majority (24 clubs) per investor was reached on December 11th and the Presidium was given a vote Final mandate had been issued. But also because a great danger is seen if the door is opened to the ultras.
Do they then also want to have a say in the upcoming new sale of the TV rights to the Bundesliga? And stipulate to the DFL that the ARD “Sportschau” on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. must be maintained at any price? Or do the Ultras want to cancel the kick-off times on Sunday evening so that the away fans who have to go to work on Monday are spared the late return journey? Or get involved when it comes to the distribution of TV money to the 36 clubs?
The DFL Presidium met regularly on Monday and discussed how to deal with the protests. Despite the ultras scene’s rejection, Watzke is sticking to his offer to talk.
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This is how it will continue in the next few weeks: The Presidium is continuing negotiations with the investor candidates, of which there has only been one left since Monday evening. The US financial investor Blackstone also withdrew because of the protests. The DFL also confirmed that only the investment company CVC was the last contender.
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The decision on whether there is a deal with CVC will be made in March or April. At a general meeting, the 36 clubs are to be informed about the new marketing partner, who will receive a share of the league’s TV revenues for at least one billion euros with eight percent over 20 years, and the general terms and conditions of the deal.
A simple majority should be enough
What’s new: If an application is submitted asking the Presidium to let the 36 clubs vote on the outcome of the negotiations before the contract is signed, then, according to information from this editorial team, the Presidium will not refuse this and will only approve the agreement Obtain closure. Dirk Zingler (59), President of Union Berlin, has already considered such a request in a letter to the DFL and explained his approach in an interview with this newspaper.
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But: If a vote is then taken as to whether a deal will be concluded with the selected investor, a two-thirds majority will no longer be necessary to get the deal off the ground – unlike in December. A simple majority of 19 of the 36 clubs should be sufficient. The chance of a deal being concluded would therefore be huge, even if one or two of the original 24 supporters were to drop out.
What happens in the hypothetical case that the deal falls through? Then the “partial autonomy” of the Bundesliga and second division planned by Watzke could play an important role. Accordingly, the Bundesliga should in future decide on issues that only affect it with its 18 clubs. This means: The Bundesliga would theoretically have the opportunity to bring a marketing partner on board just for its TV rights. And the second league, whose rights were worth significantly less than 100 million euros to the broadcasters last time, but which receives a little more than 200 million from subsidizing the Bundesliga, would have to sell its rights alone from 2025/26.
The prerequisite for the Bundesliga to go it alone would be to change the DFL statutes with a two-thirds majority. The Bundesliga would therefore have to rely on supporters from the second division. And this would probably have to be bought at a high price, for example by promising the House of Commons at least 20 percent of TV revenue, as before.
The text was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.