The German Football League is launching a new attempt to sell a share of the Bundesliga’s media rights to investors. After the failed first attempt last May, when the required two-thirds majority was not achieved among the 36 first and second division clubs, the criticism was responded to. In a statement on Tuesday evening, the DFL published some of the key guidelines to convince the doubters this time. The league does not want to sell any shares; a temporary minority stake in the license proceeds from the exploitation of commercial DFL rights is being considered.
Even in the first model, the partnership was planned to last 20 years. According to media reports, nothing has changed; once the contract ends, the rights would automatically go back to the DFL. Incurring debt through a buyback would therefore be impossible. There are no plans to sell shares in the DFL. While the intended minority stake was 12.5 percent in May, it is now expected to be in the single-digit percentage range, as the DFL announcement showed.
According to media reports, an investor should have to pay between 750 million and one billion euros. The organization of match operations should remain the full responsibility of the DFL. An investor should not have any co-determination rights, not even for competitive games abroad or for kick-off times.
A partnership will not lead to “more money ending up in the pockets of players and advisors – as is sometimes rumored,” emphasized the DFL. The focus is on the further development of “central marketing in the interests of a positive future for the leagues and clubs”.
