League boss Hans-Joachim Watzke has described the German Football League’s (DFL) collapsed deal with an investor as “bad for the league” – and now sees the pursuers of FC Bayern and BVB at a clear disadvantage.
The negotiations, which were broken off after fan protests, posed “no problem” for Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, said the league boss in a virtual round of discussions with international media.
But it is “a problem for the other clubs in the league. The investor’s money would be perfect to help the entire Bundesliga grow.”
Watzke located the central resistance in parts of the active fan scene. “There were perhaps 500 to 800 organized fans in the stadiums who really took an active part in the protests. They had a clear position – not an investor,” said the 64-year-old.
They did not believe that the contract would have contained the “clear red lines” promised by the DFL. The “average fans” had “no problem” with an investor, “but they didn’t tell anyone.”
DFL investor deal: Watzke sees “problem in German society”
The protests ultimately changed the entire situation, Watzke explained. The clubs, which had previously voted in a second election with the required two-thirds majority to negotiate with an investor, had doubts due to the resistance of the supporters.
“As head of the Bundesliga, I always had the feeling that the clear majority of clubs were in favor of it, but in the last few weeks that has changed.”
In the international media round with the participation of the news agency “AFP”, the opening of a BVB office in New York was the main topic. But Watzke was also confronted with questions about the rejection of an investor.
“The Germans are traditional, maybe even a bit old-fashioned. In Germany, investor might not be the best word,” said Watzke.
At the same time, he wanted to recognize a “problem in German society”: every “idea that you tell the public, the public says: not good.”