Another club from the Bundesliga, 1. FC Cologne, has called for a new vote on investor entry into the DFL.
In a letter to the DFL executive committee, a copy of which was sent to all DFL clubs and is available to the Sportschau, the management of 1. FC Köln wrote in view of the close vote that the “decision made for a negotiation and final mandate of the “The DFL Presidium stands on a very fragile foundation.” With regard to Martin Kind’s controversial role as managing director of Hannover 96, there is a suspicion that “there has been a violation of the 50+1 rule”. The people of Cologne are calling for the “establishment of legal certainty and acceptance” for working with an investor.
To this end, the FC announced in the letter to the DFL leadership that it would “send them a formal application in a timely manner in order to exempt the DFL executive board from the final mandate issued by the general meeting.” The decision should go back to the 36 DFL clubs. If this application requires the calling of an extraordinary general meeting, 1. FC Köln will also request this, the letter states.
Cologne: Decision must be undisputed, not through Legal opinion proven
The DFL contradicts this suspicion – also with two legal opinions, the content of which 1. FC Cologne says it is not aware of in the letter. The DFL announced in December that all people voting were authorized to represent their respective clubs at the time of the vote. The decision was therefore “effective and lawful”.
But “regardless of this, 1. FC Cologne takes the position that one of the most far-reaching decisions ever for German professional football, with a commitment period of up to 20 years, must not be legitimized with the help of legal expert assessments and reports, but rather on the basis of an undisputed decision.” . According to their own statements, 1. FC Cologne voted “no” in December.