Contracts extended
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Steffen Merkel and Marc Lenz will continue to form the double leadership of German football league. The supervisory board of the umbrella organization of German professional football has agreed with the two managing directors to extend the contract by the end of 2029. The duo has been in office since summer 2023.
Merkel and Lenz “with their expertise, their many years of experience in football, their high identification with the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga as well as their union approach are the ideal cast to lead the DFL into a successful future,” explained the supervisory board head Hans-Joachim Watzke the unanimous decision of the committee.
Watzke praises DFL guide duo Merkel and Lenz
Both managing directors would have taken over the DFL in challenging times and have managed since then. “The strong national media rights degree dominates the perception, but they have already recorded considerable success-and still have a lot. Both work with the committees and the clubs,” praised Watzke.
When awarding national media rights for the 2025/26 to 2028/29 seasons, the DFL had an increase of around two percent compared to the previous four -year cycle with a total of 4.484 billion euros. In the period in question, the 36 professional associations can expect income of 1.121 billion euros per season.
“From this position of the strength, structural and course of the course must be made together with the clubs: sporty, sports policy – and especially in marketing with a view to our business model, the change in media markets and the global growth ambitions,” announced Merkel.