Eleven in severe crisis
Hamburg Sea Devils before the end – league breaks
09.09.2025 – 1:58 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The European League of Football is about to end. Only four teams around the Hamburg Sea Devils are left. Finally, the professionals were no longer paid there.
Patrick Esume chose warm words as a farewell. After his last working day as a commissioner, the eleven founder said with “love, respect and gratitude” bye. “This league may have been my vision, but it will be your legacy forever,” Esume wrote to the players – shortly before the bang.
Hours later it was in practice for the European League of Football, for his heart project: Eleven teams get out. The franchises merged into the European Football Alliance (EFA) declared their retreat on Tuesday. The Hamburg Sea Devils are faced with a more than uncertain future.
The EFA justified its step with structural problems. “The financial instability, lack of transparency and breaches of contract of the eleven are incompatible with the vision of the EFA of a league in which the clubs are real partners both in both governance and in the intake part,” said the message. The Allianz is now planning to “set up a modern owner and governance model in NFL style”. Details on “structure, game plan and partners” should still be given “in the course of the year”.
The dissatisfaction with the league work had worsened throughout the season. At the beginning of July, Martin Wagner, founding partner of the two -time Champions Rhein Fire, expressed publicly criticism and spoke of the possible exit.
The focus of the criticism is CEO and main shareholder Zeljko Karajica, who founded the 2020 league together with Esume. Karajica announced his withdrawal at the end of the season in response. Patrick Esume had previously decided to separate – “insurmountable differences” with Karajica were the reason.
Ingo Schiller, former managing director of Hertha BSC, got on as a co-CEO and should be at the top in 2026. However, his attempted mediation with the EFA teams failed. In addition to the new Champion Stuttgart, this also includes finalist Vienna Vikings and Rhein Fire.
Of the originally 16 teams, only four remain: Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Zurich. The Fehervar Dehroners from Hungary switched to the Austrian Football League in 2026.
However, the eleven claims to be “already in a valid contractual relationship” for the coming season “with eleven franchises”. The league is also “in intensive conversations with several interested parties,” said a statement.