Sports debate about investors
“Complacent” – the fan scene rejects talks with the DFL
As of: 8:49 a.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
Football fans have been protesting against a possible investor entry into the DFL for several months. Here they are BVB supporters
Source: dpa/Rolf Vennenbernd
From the perspective of active football fans, only a new vote on the investor deal can lead to an end to the protests. In a statement they responded clearly to an invitation from the DFL.
Berlin, Wolfsburg, Mainz – the protests by football fans do not stop. On the contrary, week after week, supporters express their displeasure at the imminent entry of an investor into the German Football League (DFL).
In their justification for their clear no to the DFL’s invitation to talk, the organized fans have now described a new vote on the investor question as having no alternative. And the fight for this should continue, they announced in response to a statement from the German Football League.
“The longer the protests are ignored, the more united we will be in favor of a new vote,” said the statement, which was published by “Our Curve”, “QFF – Queer Football Fans”, “F_in – Network Women in Football”, “FC Playfair” and “BAFF – Alliance of Active Football Fans” was signed. It is a fallacy to believe that only a fraction of fans are against the planned investor deal and, above all, how it came about.
Fan protests “challenging” for rights holder Sky
The active fans’ statement late on Thursday evening was a reaction to a statement from the German Football League. Due to the ongoing protests at games, which have recently led to long interruptions in the first and second leagues, they invited representatives from the fan scene to talk.
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“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 said. The fans spoke of a “smug tone of the press release” and, among other things, criticized the processes.
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With this statement, the DFL once again fails to recognize that the stadium atmosphere is a positive feature of German professional football, said the chairman of “Our Curve”, Jost Peters. “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.” However, this cannot be said in this question.
Dario Minden, fan representative in the DFB Commission for Fans and Fan Cultures, said: “The DFL’s cheap statement that “participation by fans and members in the clubs is an essential part of German football” has no basis when it comes to investors.” That also comes from the ranks of the The organized fans expressly welcomed the club’s calls for a new vote.
Protest at the catch-up game in Mainz: stewards collect tennis balls that 1. FC Union supporters had thrown onto the lawn
Source: pa/dpa/Arne Dedert
For months, the active fan scenes have been protesting against the DFL’s plans, according to which a financial investor should pay the DFL one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenues. In a vote by the 36 professional clubs 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.
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Rights holder Sky rates the protests against the entry of an investor into the company as “challenging.” “The delays caused by the fan protests of the last few weeks present us with editorial and production challenges that we have to deal with,” said the broadcaster. Fans can also expect action during games in the federal leagues this weekend.
Last Saturday, Hertha BSC’s top 2nd league game against Hamburger SV was interrupted for a good half an hour because fans kept throwing tennis balls onto the field. The broadcaster Sport1, which broadcast the game like Sky, announced that it would include the protests in its reporting. This also includes “discussing this topic in various formats and forums – in order to illuminate it in the best possible way for our football-interested audience with journalistic care.”
