DFB President Bernd Neuendorf emphasizes the importance of the 50+1 rule in the debate about investor entry into the DFL. It is a “guarantor for the acceptance of our sport”.
“I am also following the discussions about a possible investor entry into the DFL with concern because the mere suspicion that there could have been a violation of the 50+1 rule in this context endangers the reputation of football in Germany,” Neuendorf told the German Press Agency on Friday (February 16, 2024).
The 50+1 rule, which essentially prevents investors from having a majority of votes in the corporations of clubs, is enshrined in the statutes of the German Football Association and the DFL. “And we should take our own statutes very seriously,” appealed Neuendorf.
Questionable role of Martin Kind
The DFL wants to collect one billion euros from a financial investor for a percentage share of the TV revenue. When the 36 professional clubs voted on the deal, the necessary two-thirds majority was only barely achieved. Due to the controversial role of managing director Martin Kind of second division team Hannover 96, there is suspicion that the vote could have violated the 50+1 rule.
Hanover’s club management had instructed Kind to vote against the investor’s entry. However, the voting results and the public confessions of the respondents suggest that Kind may have voted yes and thus helped the DFL plan gain the necessary majority. Kind himself did not comment on his vote and said: “In my opinion, everything went correctly.”
Recently, some clubs had spoken out in favor of a new vote, and FC St. Pauli and Borussia Mönchengladbach were added on Friday.
Hanover’s parent club is demanding more commitment from the DFB
The parent club of Hannover 96 also called on the DFB to take a leadership role. In one statement published on Thursday wrote the board of directors and supervisory board of the e. V.: “It must be ensured that the parent clubs’ right to give instructions is fully guaranteed in the future and that questions about the 50+1 rule are primarily questions that must be discussed and decided by the parent clubs and no longer by the DFL, because the 50 +1 rule serves to protect the parent clubs.”
Neuendorf now called on the DFL to strictly adhere to the statutes in the process. “In my opinion, the 50+1 rule is a central sports policy norm for football in our country. The 50+1 rule is the guarantee that the Bundesliga does not become a plaything for investors and the guarantee for the acceptance of our sport in society. And that is worth more than any donor, no matter how powerful,” said the 62-year-old and added: “We all want to develop football further – also economically. But that has to be done with a sense of proportion.”