The fans are protesting, the clubs and the league are annoyed. The DFL investor deal is still causing anger two months after the vote. Open end.
On Wednesday they flew again, the tennis balls. Union Berlin supporters threw them onto the pitch along with other small objects at the end of the first half of the Bundesliga catch-up game against Mainz 05. The stewards in the Mainz Arena were busy clearing the lawn for minutes. Meanwhile, Berlin supporters shouted “Shit DFL” and “You are destroying our sport” from the guest block.
A process that should be familiar to pretty much every football fan in Germany since last weekend at the latest. There were also game interruptions in Freiburg and Hanover. In the top second division game between Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV on Saturday, the referee even sent the players into the dressing room because the protest by the supporters with thrown tennis balls lasted for more than 20 minutes.
A day later, 1. FC Kaiserslautern supporters threw lemons onto the grass at the game in Elversberg. “DFL investors are making us angry,” was written on a banner in the fan block.
Martin Kind’s controversial decision
The fan scenes of most clubs in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga have been protesting against the DFL’s investor deal for two months. On December 11th, 24 of the 36 professional clubs voted to start discussions with potential investors. This means they barely achieved the necessary two-thirds majority. A first attempt in May failed.
This is what the DFL investor deal is about
A financial investor is expected to pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. There are currently two interested parties. The contract should have a maximum term of 20 years and be signed by the start of the 2024/25 season. The league wants to use the money primarily to expand its infrastructure. This includes digitization and internationalization as well as the development of our own streaming platform. Critics fear that the deal could result in games being relocated abroad, the match day being split up further and football becoming more and more expensive.
The active fan scenes of almost all clubs reacted angrily. On the one hand, because they were against the entry of an investor. On the other hand, because the process was too opaque for them. The vote was secret and by paper.
According to the “Sportschau”, some participants expressed concern that their voice could be tracked. The election of Martin Kind, the representative of Hannover 96, was particularly controversial. The managing director of the club’s outsourced professional department was instructed by the parent club to vote “no”. However, since ten clubs that had voted “no” came forward in the following days, it was clear that Kind had probably voted in favor of joining.
All of this sparked nationwide protests. Initially, most fans were silent for twelve minutes. Twelve because they were passed over as the “twelfth man,” as the fans like to be called. In some stadiums it even remained silent for an entire half. A strange atmosphere, both for players and fans watching TV.
“You should end it at some point”
The protest has never really stopped since then. On some match days it was quieter, but recently the activities have picked up speed again. Some club representatives reacted angrily. Martin Kind said in an interview with the “Hamburger Morgenpost”: “I think you can’t solve problems by throwing tennis balls. That far exceeds my imagination. If you want something, then you have to criticize, but also suggest alternative solutions. “
After the protest last Wednesday, Mainz sports director Christian Heidel said: “We understand that some of the fans have a different opinion. We have to accept that. But you should end it at some point, otherwise it will be a problem There’s not much left to do in football.”
The voices are different among the fans. Some are annoyed by the constant interruptions and are calling for an end to the tennis balls. The others show understanding and see the annoying protests as the only chance to put the issue prominently on the agenda.
A game cancellation is also conceivable
The fan scenes themselves are aware of the impact of their actions. The “Harlekins Berlin”, Hertha BSC’s leading ultra-group, explained their forced interruption in detail in a statement a day later: “It is precisely for these reasons that we have decided on the particularly long, particularly boring and particularly strenuous form of protest. Short Apparently people quickly got used to protests and short interruptions in Germany.”
The Ultras made it clear: “We decide ourselves how long a protest can last and we will not feel bound to the ideas of editors, club officials or DFL representatives in the future.” In a speech to the players, the leader of the Hertha fan curve called “Kreisel” explained after the HSV game that they would also accept a game being canceled in order to give the issue the attention that the Ultras consider necessary.