Anger over failed deal Hoeneß complains about “catastrophic communication”
March 29, 2024, 8:41 a.m
Uli Hoeneß is angry: Those responsible did a “disastrous job” in arranging the alleged blessing that the entry of an investor into the Bundesliga would have brought to the clubs.
Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß sees the reason for the failed investor deal in the German Football League (DFL) in a poorly conducted dialogue. Those responsible “did a catastrophic job in informing the public about the true background of this deal, the communication policy was a catastrophe,” said the 72-year-old in an interview with BRSport24: “If it had been explained sensibly, I would be convinced that it could have gone through without major problems.”
Hoeneß is still convinced “that 98 percent of these fans didn’t understand what it was about. It wasn’t about investors having influence on the Bundesliga. It wasn’t about restricting the Bundesliga’s independence. Not about taking something away from the fans.”
“Small clubs will have big problems”
After a financier failed to invest, he now sees difficulties facing a number of teams. “The fact is that the small clubs that allowed themselves to be manipulated from outside will soon have big problems raising the money that the DFL needs to carry out this infrastructure measure, which could have been paid for through this deal, themselves to finance it,” said Hoeneß. The DFL, in the person of board spokesman Hans-Joachim Watzke, announced in February that the process for an investor to join was canceled after sharp protests from numerous fans.
“German professional football is in the midst of a test that is causing major conflicts not only within the league association between the clubs, but also within the clubs between professionals, coaches, club managers, supervisory bodies, general meetings and fan communities, which are affecting game operations with increasing vehemence endanger the course of the game and thus the integrity of the competition,” said a statement from the DFL executive committee.
In particular, the new form of protest in the Bundesliga of causing the game to be interrupted by throwing tennis balls en masse had caused the Bundesliga’s otherwise well-running machinery to grind. Parts of Hoeneß’s FC Bayern fan scene also joined the protests, some with harsh words. In Munich, tennis balls flew out of the curve, which is why the club was recently fined 40,000 euros.
“Voting lacks acceptance”
The decision that the clubs had authorized the DFL to enter into negotiations with an investor also caused criticism afterwards. Fan representatives and several clubs had criticized the non-transparent approach and called for at least one repeat of the election. The Presidium of the DFL has now “come to the conclusion, after considering all legal aspects, that any further votes would not bring a solution to the problem.”
The situation at Hannover 96 in particular had undermined trust in the voting process: the parent club had asked Martin Kind, managing director and financier of the professional department, to vote “no” in the secret vote – which the billionaire apparently did not comply with. It should not be overlooked that this vote lacks broad acceptance due to the events surrounding Hannover 96. In view of the great asset that we hold in our hands with the 50+1 rule, ignoring this should not be our approach “The DFL Presidium is unanimous in its support of the 50+1 rule,” wrote the DFL.
The entry of an investor should have brought the league around one billion euros. At the beginning of the protests, the first interested party, Blackstone, withdrew from the process, and recently there was only one candidate left for talks, the private equity company CVC.
2024-03-29 07:41:00
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