The fan protests against an investor joining the DFL continued this weekend. A TV expert didn’t like that at all.
For former Hertha managing director Fredi Bobic, the fan protests in the Bundesliga are no longer proportional. “If we are always on the verge of abandonment, at some point it will get annoying and difficult for the players. In the end, it’s about the game. The spectators come to the stadium to watch the game. 90 percent of the spectators come to the stadium “Just to watch the game. Not to protest,” said Bobic in his role as a DAZN expert on the sidelines of the Bundesliga game between VfB Stuttgart and FSV Mainz 05.
There were also protests again in Stuttgart on Sunday. After eight minutes the first tennis balls flew, whereupon the game was interrupted. There were several banners for this. Among other things, it read: “Are you kidding us? Open vote now!” In the Mainz fan block it was written: “Investors are like Ash Wednesday all year round.” Referee Deniz Aytekin briefly brought the teams off the pitch before play resumed.
“That doesn’t help football”
You can always protest, that’s what a stadium is for. “It always has to stay within limits,” says Bobic. In many stadiums, some fan groups have been protesting for several weeks against the entry of an investor into the DFL, which is currently dealing with offers from the companies Blackstone and CVC. The investor is expected to pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. “You have to seek communication with each other. That was rejected, which I think is wrong. Only through protests and almost cancellations, that doesn’t help football,” added Bobic.
Stuttgart’s CEO Alexander Wehrle now sees the DFL’s turn. “I believe that we have people in the DFL executive committee members who will now think about how we can get some peace back. They definitely have my trust. I’m also sure that they can manage it.”