The open dispute between the women’s Bundesliga clubs and the German Football Association was followed by the independent founding of the league association. At the press conference in Frankfurt, however, it became clear that the door is far from closed for the DFB.
There was around 1.5 kilometers between the DFB’s wishes and the plans of the women’s Bundesliga team this Wednesday in Frankfurt. The originally planned founding ceremony of the new league association on the campus of the German Football Association was canceled at short notice and relocated to a stadium box at Eintracht Frankfurt. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf was a guest, but he didn’t offer more than a greeting.
Six days after the publicly initiated break with the umbrella association, the clubs in the Frankfurt Arena got serious and founded the new league association on their own. The meeting at which the revolution was put into practice then lasted significantly longer than planned. The enforcement announcement, scheduled for 4 p.m., began with a delay of more than an hour. Despite the delay on a Deutsche Bahn scale, the message was clear: the clubs are now pulling ahead without the DFB as a driving force.
The league association adopts a conciliatory tone
“Today is a historic day for women’s football and history sometimes takes a little longer,” Eintracht media director Jan Strasheim then appropriately began the press conference. Sitting next to him on the podium were the newly elected President Katharina Kiel from Eintracht Frankfurt, the 1st Vice President Veronica Saß from Bayern Munich and the 2nd Vice President Florian Zeutschler from SGS Essen. All three began their remarks with an apology. “Sorry it took so long.”
A very reserved tone, which was not fully continued during the question-and-answer session with the media. However, anyone who expected a tough stance from the new FBL executive committee after the exchange of verbal poison darts between the clubs and the DFB in the past few days was disappointed.
There are sticking points
Kiel emphasized that there were still points of contention between the league association and the DFB. The clubs, which want to invest a total of 700 million euros over the next few years, claim the power to decide on possible disputes. In addition, the exit option apparently brought into play by the DFB should be deleted. “This partnership should not be terminable after four years,” emphasized Kiel. Overall, it became very clear that the gap is by no means so deep that it cannot be crossed together.
“Our task remains to take the next steps with an open mind. Every path has advantages and disadvantages,” summarized Kiel, without going into detail. What goals the league association was aiming for remained open, as did the implementation of the possible scenario of a league operation without the DFB. Who would provide the referees in this case? What about the jurisdiction? And how is it working in conjunction with UEFA? Lots of questions, no answers. “The crucial thing today is that the league association was founded,” said Zeutschler.
The work begins immediately
The fact that the league association, which now exists as a registered club, is the prerequisite for the joint venture previously sought by the clubs and the DFB can be seen as a further sign that cooperation is more likely than a final break. The DFB and the clubs should each have a 50 percent stake, and the association should invest a further 100 million euros in the future of women’s football. “The idea has not been destroyed, I want to emphasize that again,” said Kiel.
How exactly things will continue is initially unclear. However, in view of the media rights to be negotiated from the 2027/28 season, haste is essential. “We have little time and will start work immediately,” emphasized Kiel. “There are some points on the table.” An intensive exchange with the DFB and the search for a common solution is one of them.
