50+1 rule to be retained – no further exceptions

Grandfathering for trio

According to the Federal Cartel Office, the 50+1 rule should be retained in German professional football. From the principle that prevents the complete takeover of professional clubs by investors, there should be no further exemptions in the future, such as for TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg. This was announced by the authority on Thursday.

This was preceded by a lengthy voting process because of the special rules that continue to apply to the three Bundesliga clubs. In the future, however, the trio must involve the members more and provide financial compensation. “With the promised deletion of the possibility of exception from the statutes, our concern that the sports policy goals asserted by the DFL will be counteracted by a coexistence of clubs with and without funding exceptions,” said the President of the Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt.

Bundesliga 2023/24: All 18 stadiums by number of standing places

18 – Bayer Leverkusen | BayArena | Standing: 4,500

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Capacity: 30,210

17 – TSG Hoffenheim | PreZero Arena | Standing: 6,750

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Capacity: 30,150

16 – VfL Wolfsburg | Volkswagen Arena | Standing: 8,000

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Capacity: 30,000

15 – 1 FC Cologne | RheinEnergieStadion | Standing: 8,175

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Capacity: 50,000

14-Darmstadt 98 | Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor | Standing: 9,000

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Capacity: 17,500

13 – Eintracht Frankfurt | Deutsche Bank Arena | Standing: 9,300

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Capacity: 51,500

12 – Werder Bremen | Wohninvest-Weserstadion | Standing: 10,600

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Capacity: 42,100

11 – 1 FC Heidenheim | Voith Arena | Standing: 10,700

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Capacity: 15,000

10 – Augsburg | WWK Arena | Standing places: 11,034

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Capacity: 30,660

9 – VfB Stuttgart | Mercedes-Benz Arena | Standing: 11,225

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Capacity: 60,449

8 – VfL Bochum | Vonovia Ruhrstadion | Standing places: 12,025

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Capacity: 26,000

7 – SC Friborg | Europa Park Stadium | Standing: 12,400

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Capacity: 34,700

6 – Mainz 05 | Mewa Arena | Standing: 14,000

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Capacity: 33,305

5 – RB Leipzig | Red Bull Arena | Standing places: 14,161

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Capacity: 47,069

4 – Bayern Munich | Allianz Arena | Standing: 15,794

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Capacity: 75,024

3 – Bor. M’gladbach | Borussia Park | Standing: 16,145

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Capacity: 54,022

2 – Union Berlin | At the old forester’s lodge | Standing: 18,395

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Capacity: 22,012

1 – Borussia Dortmund | Signal Iduna Park | Standing: 28,337

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Capacity: 81,365

“It is true that the rules of antitrust law apply to professional sport and especially to sports associations. The limitation of league participation to clubs with a strong club presence still represents a restriction of competition that requires sports-political legitimacy. Overall, however, the commitments offered by the DFL appear to be suitable for dispelling our preliminary antitrust concerns,” he continued.

50+1 rule: grandfathering for TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer 04 & VfL Wolfsburg

The association of the 36 professional clubs and the authority agreed on three key changes to the previous 50+1 rule. In future, the representation of the parent club in the committees of the corporations hived off for professional football must be ensured. In addition, individuals or companies are no longer allowed to balance their balance sheets with special payments. As a third measure, the clubs are tied to their location.

In return, the three exceptions Hoffenheim, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg are granted grandfathering – there should be no more. According to the Federal Cartel Office, the DFL, the German Football Association and the other clubs and investors involved in the proceedings will be given a legal hearing before the final decision is made.

The Cartel Office classified the 50+1 rule in 2021 as harmless in terms of sports policy, but criticized the three exceptions for Hoffenheim with majority owner Dietmar Hopp and the company-controlled clubs Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. Since then, the clarification process has been ongoing. TSG recently announced that Hopp would return his majority voting rights to the parent club without compensation.

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