Christian Keller explains application for DFL investor entry

Christian Keller explains why 1. FC Köln wants to bring about a new DFL vote on investor involvement – and expects penalties for the clubs.

The 22nd Bundesliga matchday was once again marked by protests against the planned investor entry into the German Football League. The fans of 1. FC Köln expressed their rejection in a particularly creative way by having remote-controlled cars drive across the lawn during the home game against Werder Bremen (0-1) on Friday evening. The game was interrupted for around three minutes.

Christian Keller is not surprised by the ongoing protests. “Football is a mass social phenomenon, even more firmly anchored in Germany than in many other countries. At some point the barrel is full and spills over,” says the FC managing director in an interview with the “Geissblog”. As is well known, in December the Cologne club was among twelve of 36 clubs that voted against the DFL collaborating with a private equity partner.

After the massive protests, the “billy goats” are now requesting that the DFL executive board be released from the final mandate for investor entry that was granted at the time. If the DFL general meeting approves the application, the 36 clubs from the two federal leagues would ultimately decide on the deal after it has been negotiated. This is the only way to bring about a new vote – which is also demanded by other clubs.

“First and foremost, our aim is to ensure legal certainty and acceptance. As is known, there are suspicions that the vote at the DFL general meeting was not legally valid due to Hannover 96’s voting behavior and that there was therefore a violation of the 50+1 rule. These suspicions must be completely dispelled,” says Keller, explaining the announced application from 1. FC Köln, which is to be submitted next week.

In addition, “a potential collaboration between the federal leagues and a private equity company represents a major cultural challenge and is not really in keeping with the essence of German professional football as a public cultural asset.” Keller speaks of “one of the most relevant decisions since the introduction of the Bundesliga,” of a “responsibility to put something so far-reaching on a broad basis.”

The 45-year-old cannot predict the chances of success of the Cologne application. “Of course there are always different reactions. There are those club officials who want to push through the deal no matter what, even in the current situation, and those who share our position.” Overall, however, after the announcement of the application, the FC “received a lot of positive feedback from the ranks of the other clubs”.

It is important to Keller “to emphasize that the application has nothing to do with the fact that we want to express our distrust in the DFL executive committee or that we doubt the original decision.” The application should “ensure legal certainty and acceptance, also in the spirit of the Presidium”. The current situation is “damaging the reputation” of the federal leagues.

It seems to be only a matter of time before a protesting fan camp causes the game to be abandoned. “It is also clear,” adds Keller, despite Cologne’s rejection of investor involvement: “Crossing borders, especially in the form of offensive and discriminatory banners or other radical actions, such as those that recently emerged at a few games, are absolutely unacceptable and do harm constructive discourse.” And: “The integrity of sporting competition must remain protected. This is just as much a red line as the renunciation of any discrimination. There must be no abandonment of games.”

These would have drastic consequences for the clubs involved: “If the game is canceled, the club whose fans caused it could lose the points at the green table,” says Keller: “Then we would have exactly the interference in the integrity of the sporting competition that would result Under no circumstances should it happen.” The Cologne sports director “assumes” that the DFB will impose sanctions for the game interruptions. What these will look like is difficult to predict. The DFB’s sentencing guidelines do not say “what penalties for “Flying chocolate coins, tennis balls, apples or radio-controlled cars are planned”.