In their justification for their clear rejection of the German Football League’s (DFL) invitation to talk, the organized fans described a new vote on the investor question as having no alternative. And the fight for this should continue, they announced in response to a statement from the DFL.
“The longer the protests are ignored, the more united we will be in favor of a new vote,” said the statement, which was published by “Our Curve”, “QFF – Queer Football Fans”, “F_in – Network Women in Football”, “FC Playfair” and “BAFF – Alliance of Active Football Fans” was signed. It is a fallacy to believe that only a fraction of fans are against the planned investor deal and, above all, how it came about.
“Smug tone”
The statement from the active fans late on Thursday evening was a reaction to a statement from the DFL. Due to the ongoing protests at games, which have recently led to long interruptions in the first and second leagues, they invited representatives from the fan scene to talk.
“Along with the right to have a say, we must all accept the responsibility to deal intensively with critical issues. Not every exchange can guarantee that all discussion partners will then agree,” the DFL said. The fans spoke of a “smug tone of the press release” and, among other things, criticized the processes.
“Wohlfeile” DFL
With this statement, the DFL once again fails to recognize that the stadium atmosphere is a positive feature of German professional football, said the chairman of “Our Curve”, Jost Peters. “The fans are what sets German football apart from other European leagues. The inclusion of fans and club members should not only be preached publicly, but also lived.” However, this cannot be said in this question.
Dario Minden, fan representative in the German Football Association’s Commission for Fans and Fan Cultures, said: “The DFL’s cheap statement that ‘participation by fans and members in the clubs is an essential part of German football’ has no basis when it comes to investors.” That too The organized fans expressly welcomed calls for another vote from the club’s ranks.
A comment from Michael Wittershagen Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 8 A comment from Peter Penders Published/Updated: Recommendations: 9 Daniel Theweleit, Cologne Published/Updated:
For months, the active fan scenes have been protesting against the DFL’s plans, according to which a financial investor should pay the DFL one billion euros for a percentage share of the television revenues. In a vote by the 36 professional clubs in December, the necessary two-thirds majority was only barely achieved. The voting behavior of Martin Kind for Hannover 96, who was instructed by the parent club to vote against, led to questions.