Hans-Joachim Watzke described the German Football League’s (DFL) collapsed deal with an investor as “bad for the league”. Watzke also commented on the fan protests in the Bundesliga stadiums.
The negotiations, which were broken off after fan protests, posed “no problem” for Bayern Munich or Borussia Borussia Dortmund, said the league boss in a virtual round of discussions with international media. But it is “a problem for the other clubs in the league. The investor’s money would be perfect to help the entire Bundesliga grow.”
Watzke: The minority has prevailed
Watzke complained that only a minority of supporters had prevailed with their protests. The “average fans” had “no problem” with an investor, “but they didn’t tell anyone.” Only “maybe 500 or 800 in the stadium, the organized fans, they had a clear position – no investor.” This minority did not believe that the contract contained the “clear red lines” promised by the DFL.
Protests changed the mood of the clubs
The protests ultimately changed the entire situation, Watzke explained. The clubs, which had previously voted in a second election with the required two-thirds majority to negotiate with an investor, had gotten cold feet due to the resistance of the supporters. “As head of the Bundesliga, I always had the feeling that the clear majority of clubs were in favor of it, but in the last few weeks that has changed.”
Germans are “traditional” and “maybe a bit old-fashioned”
In the international media round, Watzke wanted to announce the opening of a DFL office in New York, but was then confronted with questions about the rejection of an investor. “The Germans are traditional, maybe even a bit old-fashioned. In Germany, investor might not be the best word,” said Watzke. At the same time, he wanted to recognize a “problem in German society”: every “idea that you tell the public, the public says: not good.”