The failed entry of an investor in the German Football League continues to occupy the Bundesliga. Many fear that the community of solidarity will drift apart.
After the no to an investor in the German Football League, top officials see the solidarity of the professional clubs in question.
“16 clubs have terminated the central marketing of the DFL,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, supervisory board member of series champions FC Bayern Munich, at the SpoBis sports fair: “This lack of solidarity by the 16 clubs should be understood in such a way that one has to recommend one’s own club we market ourselves.”
Rummenigge: Separation undesirable, but possible
He does not wish “that there is a separation between the first and second leagues, but I would not rule it out either, because this vote was a gauntlet that had not previously existed in this quality,” said Rummenigge.
At the most recent general meeting, the plans of the German Football League for the entry of an investor did not receive the required two-thirds majority among the 36 professional clubs. The DFL had promised fresh capital of around two billion euros from the deal.
VfLManaging Director Meeske: “stress test”
Current Bundesliga bosses also hinted at problems in a discussion round. “I wouldn’t say that it can’t be done anymore. But it’s a stress test. And I’m not sure if the will to change is actually there. It’s too short to say that we’ll manage it somehow differently.” , said managing director Michael Meeske from VfL Wolfsburg.
Managing Director Markus Rejek from 1. FC Köln made it clear: “That was not a vote against investors. Everyone supports the further development. But that was perhaps a pointer to the way we treated each other.” That should wake you up now. “Maybe we’ll say in a few years that that was the turning point from a certain backroom politics to a better togetherness.” He warns of the “reflex that the Bundesliga has to separate from the 2nd division”.
For Marketing Director Andreas Jung from FC Bayern, the vote was “a sign of stagnation”. After eleven Bavarian championships in a row, the Bundesliga is “in a group with Austria, Switzerland or Holland. And we have to be careful that we don’t get passed on any further,” said Jung.
CEO Bernd Schröder from FC Schalke 04 confirmed that his club also voted against the investor. You have to look for alternatives. “A lot of good preparatory work was done there. It must not seep away,” he said.