Fans and Clubs Slam DFL's Billion-Euro Investor Pitch
The German Football League (DFL) faces mounting criticism and skepticism as it sinks its teeth into its third attempt to secure a billion-euro investor deal. With the general meeting looming on the horizon, the DFL remains tight-lipped, while naysayers grow louder.
The fans have given the DFL an earful, and their discontent has become a cacophony. At a recent Bundesliga match between Mainz and Freiburg, supporters took to the stands, singing their disapproval in the form of chants like "Shit DFL!" and displaying banners in support of eco-friendly football and against private equity in clubs and associations.
Syndicates of supporters stand united in opposition, such as "Unsere Kurve" (Our Curve), which has openly denounced the DFL's investment deal. Jost Peter, the group's 1st chairman, called their approach "problematic." He argued that the proposed strategy would further strengthen the top tier of the league while failing to provide any significant improvements for the bottom two-thirds of clubs—a situation exacerbated by the already-unfair distribution of TV money.
The controversy has sparked heated debates within various clubs, some of which have experienced pushback from their own fan bases for supporting the DFL's deal. For instance, Werder Bremen's supervisory board chair Hubertus Hess-Grunewald argued that the club needed a strategic partner to manage future challenges. While some fans were supportive, others voiced their objections with chants like "Quick money from investors instead of creative solutions? The easy way wasn't our Green-White way. You're not Werderites!"
Clubs like Hoffenheim and 1. FC Heidenheim have remained neutral, although Hoffenheim's managing director Denni Strich expressed positivity towards working with a strategic partner in a constructive dialogue with the fan community. In contrast, 1. FC Köln remains adamantly opposed, with Vice President Eckhard Sauren protesting the necessity of private investors at the negotiating table for German professional football's development.
Although Freiburg initially supported the DFL's proposal, they have since changed their position. The board and supervisory members have expressed intentions to fund the slimmed-down investment through internal financing.
In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund's BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke defended the DFL's decision, arguing that the league desperately needed to invest in foreign marketing and piracy prevention. Despite the DFL's past efforts, the recent attempt straddles the line between wise investment and private equity takeover.
With the need to secure a two-thirds majority, Watzke acknowledged a shift in attitudes among some clubs from their previous no-vote position. However, he also acknowledged opposition from others, to which he admitted, "I simply cannot understand that."
Sources
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Enrichment Data:
The current debate surrounding the DFL's billion-euro investor deal is the latest in a series of financial struggles the league has faced. The future of Bundesliga clubs' TV revenue is at stake, as new regulations will decrease the amount the DFL distributes from domestic media contracts starting in 2025/26. These changes will lead to a decrease in domestic TV revenue distribution of around €50 million per season, with an additional €20 million in investment in each of the following two seasons intended to offset the reduction.
In April 2021, Bundesliga clubs voted against a similar investor deal. This spell of resistance has persisted due to concerns about competition distortion, corporate takeover, and the even more unequal TV distribution of revenue between the top-tier and lower-tier clubs. The reduction in TV revenue and the DFL's potential investment deal have sparked debate and protests among supporters and club executives alike, culminating in the current impasse.
Sources:
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