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The DFL’s planned investor deal failed resoundingly. And the fans are emerging as winners from one of the worst crises in German football. A comment by Benjamin Best.
I can only shake my head. The DFL – the association of the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and 2nd division – said it was faced with one of the most important decisions in German professional football: What strategy should it pursue in the future?
In the end, the league also failed due to its own incompetence. Communicate important plans transparently and clearly. A lot of things are reminiscent of processes that often take place in the football world: backroom deals and secret agreements.
DFL is causing one of the biggest crises in German football
Their own officials have caused one of the biggest crises in German professional football. The consequences cannot be foreseen precisely today.
It is clear who the winners are. It is the football fans who have been protesting with tennis balls for weeks against an investor being allowed to get involved. These are the clubs that have come to the conclusion that it makes no sense to enforce important decisions against the will of members and fans.
Is the DFL still a trustworthy contractual partner?
The DFL now has to get the money it needs for further development and better international marketing from other partners.
But a league that only after massive protests withdrew a completely non-transparent decision that was at least questionable under antitrust law will have to ask itself many questions. One of them will be: Can you still be a trustworthy contractual partner in the future after this fiasco?