The German champions in American football are to be crowned again this fall in Frankfurt at the German Bowl on October 14. But there is a lawsuit about the football final.
The German Bowl cannot compete with the Super Bowl in the USA, which fascinates billions of people. But the German football final has also attracted thousands of fans in recent years. Since 2019, the Frankfurt Waldstadion, officially called Deutsche Bank Park, has been the final venue, and that’s actually how it’s planned for 2023. But now the German American Football Association is questioning the event there.
The association recently announced that it had terminated the contract with the organizer, the company GFS GmbH from Frankfurt, without notice. The association would rather organize the final itself, definitely on October 14th, but in which city is still open.
Tickets for German Bowl are already sold
GFS GmbH has now sued the football association, as confirmed by the Frankfurt Regional Court. The company wants to host the final as planned and insists on compliance with the contracts. Tickets for the German Bowl are already on sale online. According to the court, the trial is scheduled for the end of June.
Football Association exchanges board
Managing Director of GFS GmbH is Robert Huber. Huber has been a well-known figure in German football for decades, he was at the head of the football association for a quarter of a century. Last November, Huber resigned with the entire board after nine state associations had submitted an application to be voted out. As president of the association, he had signed a contract with his own company regarding the organization of the German Bowl.
Dispute: contracts “illegal” or “legal and customary in the industry”?
The new board of directors of the Football Association criticizes precisely this: In a press release, the new management accused the old ones of “the fact that the association was completely financially undermined” – among other things by the German Bowl contract. This unilaterally disadvantages the association. This and other contracts with GFS were therefore “unlawfully concluded”, according to the assessment.
The association has since removed the press release from its website. A lawyer for GFS GmbH informed HR in writing that the contract with the football association was customary in the industry and legal. There is no reason for an extraordinary termination. The German Bowl will therefore take place as planned.
Quickly create clarity for the fans
The only Hessian club in the German Football League, the Marburg Mercenaries, emphasizes that numerous spectators already have tickets for the final. “In the interests of the fans, there should be clarity about the finale quickly,” said a spokesman. The best thing is an amicable solution, without court proceedings. But that’s exactly what it seems to be about at the moment.