The German Football League has submitted a proposal for an adjusted 50+1 rule to the Federal Cartel Office.
This provides that the clubs with special permits, i.e. Bayer 04 Leverkusen, TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg, are granted grandfathering under certain conditions, but no other clubs can use this regulation. The Executive Committee voted unanimously in favor of this proposal, the DFL announced in a press release on Wednesday (March 8th, 2023).
That wasn’t a surprise. The sports show had already confirmed proposals from the league and clubs in February.
Cartel Office criticizes exceptions
The cartel office classified the 50+1 rule as harmless in 2021, but criticized the three exceptions for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with the then majority owner Dietmar Hopp and the company-controlled clubs Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg.
The letter from the Cartel Office to the DFL also said: “While the basic rule in itself would probably be neutral in terms of antitrust law due to the sports policy goals it is pursuing, this result no longer arises in conjunction with the funding exception.” Since then, a clarification process has been running.
Hoffenheim had recently announced that Hopp would return his majority voting right to the parent club without compensation.
In principle, the 50+1 rule states that the decision-making majority must always remain with the parent club when investing. This is to prevent clubs – such as in England – from being sold completely.