Fan resistance to investors joining the DFL continues unabated. The association invited the fans to a conversation. But they firmly refused.
The German Football League (DFL) has invited representatives of the fan scene to talks after the ongoing protests against the entry of an investor into the league association. Fan organizations rejected this late on Thursday evening. “The DFL leadership has been ignoring the criticism from the curves since it began at the end of last year,” it said in a statement: “It seems as if they want to wait out the conflict. The current offer for dialogue is not a rethink. It is a fig leaf. Because it does not contain any offer for negotiations.”
The DFL had previously written: “Along with the right to have a say, we must all accept the responsibility to deal intensively with critical issues. Not every exchange can guarantee that all discussion partners will then agree.” The DFL executive committee now wants to speak to representatives of nationwide fan organizations and fan scene alliances, but they clearly rejected this.
Votes for a new vote are increasing
In recent days, there have been increasing calls from some clubs for a new vote, which fan representatives welcomed. The DFL did not comment on this in its statement. “The longer the protests are ignored, the more united we will be in calling for a new vote,” announced the organized fan scene.
According to sports lawyer Paul Lambertz, a new vote is legally possible. “In principle, you could have another vote. This requires a general meeting,” he told the German Press Agency.
The announcement was the league association’s first public statement on the issue after protests reached a new peak last weekend.
“Both the DFL and the clubs respect when fan groups reject the chosen model. However, part of dealing with each other in a sporting manner is that the arguments of the other party are heard,” it said. The league association also pointed out that there had already been numerous discussions and conversations with fans in different formats at club level.
“Involvement of fans and members also live”
Jost Peters, chairman of the fan association “Our Curve” criticized: “The fans are what sets German football apart from other European leagues. The inclusion of fans and club members should not only be preached publicly, but also lived.” But that wouldn’t happen at all when it comes to the investor question.
There have been protests against the DFL plans from the active fan scenes for months, which have recently intensified. A financial investor is to pay the DFL one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue.
In the final vote of the 36 professional clubs for the multi-billion dollar deal in December, the necessary two-thirds majority was only barely achieved. The voting behavior of Martin Kind for Hannover 96, who was instructed by the parent club to vote against, caused questions.