Yes, because it shows that protest works – and that the Bundesliga has a special unique selling point.
Somewhere in Germany, a renowned tennis ball manufacturer will have covered their face with their hands. With the DFL deal falling through, the recent protests by many fans are likely to be a thing of the past for the time being.
“The deal is dead,” Presidential spokesman Hans-Joachim Watzke announced on Wednesday afternoon. The deal is dead. But the league is alive – and thanks to its members.
The fact that the protest has now led to this result can and can be considered a success by anyone who has thrown a tennis ball onto the lawn. He showed that protest works – and that the Bundesliga has a special unique selling point.
The process of the past few weeks has once again underlined the importance of 50+1. 50+1 means democratic participation. A club is owned by at least 51 percent of its members. That’s good and right.
The fact that Hannover’s Martin Kind, a representative of the club, presumably voted against the club’s instructions – moreover in a non-transparent, secret vote that ignored the will of many members – was the main point of criticism of many fans of the “base”.
The fact that they feared increasing commercialization and a sell-out of football with the entry of a private equity company striving to maximize profits only made matters worse. The rat race with the financially disadvantaged Premier League cannot be won anyway.
The collapsed deal is a victory for co-determination, for democratically run processes, and for fan culture in Germany. And therefore also for German football in general.