Tennis balls and chocolate coins that flew onto the lawn. Banners with a very clear message. Fans in the highest and second highest German Bundesliga made their displeasure known at the weekend. “We will not be part of your deal,” was written on the posters. For twelve minutes (based on the twelfth man) it remained silent in the stadiums, the organized fan scene was silent. What happened?
Exactly a week ago, the 36 clubs in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga agreed with the required two-thirds majority to investor entry into the German Bundesliga. This means that managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel can enter into negotiations with potential donors. It is hoped that one billion euros will be spent, and 600 million will be spent on the core projects of digitalization and internationalization. Discussions with potential investors are already underway.
For example, clubs should be supported when traveling abroad – the model is the “Premier League Summer Series” in the USA. Video content should be sold directly to fans via subscriptions. What is specifically mentioned in the DFL paper is a “league-wide documentation”. Formula 1 has received a lot of attention through the Netflix documentary “Drive to Survive”. Golf, tennis and cycling followed the trend – the German Bundesliga now wants that too. In order to remain internationally competitive. The “red line” that the two managing directors draw is clear: the investor should have no influence on the game plan and should not be able to play games abroad.
In any case, the fans fear for the future of German football as they like it. “A contract that is concluded over two decades opens a Pandora’s box in the long term, which does not rule out further investor involvement – quite the opposite,” says a statement that was distributed by numerous Ultras groups. Hoffenheim managing director Alexander Rosen appealed for acceptance among the fans: “You also have to accept that the league has to develop,” says Rosen.
Criticism of the planned investor entry is not only from the fan scene, but also from clubs: smaller clubs and clubs from the 2nd Bundesliga – such as VfL Osnabrück – criticize that strengthening foreign marketing primarily benefits the larger clubs and the financial gap would become even wider.
2023-12-17 16:18:00
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