Multi-club ownership: FC Bayern and BVB demand strict rules

Could also limit RB teams

Bayern boss Jan-Christian Dreesen and Borussia Dortmund managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke have warned of the growing influence of so-called multi-club ownership. “German football has to be very vigilant, we have a more vigilant perspective than is the case in many other countries,” said Watzke after the general meeting of the European Club Association (ECA) on Thursday in Berlin. For Dreesen, consortia that own several clubs in different countries could develop into a danger.

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“You certainly have to look at when players move back and forth between clubs that belong to one owner. It will be interesting to see how that can be countered,” said the Munich CEO. There is a “clear stance” against multi-club ownership.

The attitude of Bayern and BVB is piquant in that Bundesliga competitor RB Leipzig, under the umbrella of the Red Bull Group, has also been monitored by UEFA in competition matters in the past. With Red Bull Salzburg there was already a direct duel between two teams from the beverage company’s portfolio at European level – ultimately with the permission of the continental association.

Leipzig’s Mintzlaff on the ECA board – Dreesen wants regulations for multi-club ownership

Oliver Mintzlaff, chairman of the supervisory board at RB Leipzig and board member of Red Bull GmbH, joined the ECA board on Thursday like Dreesen and as Watzke’s successor. The top manager does not see any “conflicts of interest” due to other personal tasks, such as at the Austrian broadcaster “Servus-TV”, which also has football rights. Due to the “expertise that I have gained over the last few years, it was a wish that I would get involved here,” said Mintzlaff.

With Joshua Wander from the investor of the second division Hertha BSC, 777 Partners, another protagonist of a multi-club player moved onto the ECA board, at least as an observer. Namely as a representative of the Belgian first division club Standard Liège.

This summer, UEFA ruled in three cases, including the connection between AC Milan and FC Toulouse, that there were no objections to participating in the European Cup despite the clubs’ economic ties. “We should strive and contribute to developing regulations here so that multi-club ownership does not distort competition,” demanded Dreesen.

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