Suche
Mein Konto
Federal Cartel Office warns: 50+1 rule in German football under pressure!
The Federal Cartel Office is examining the 50+1 rule in football, with RB Leipzig being criticized. backdrop for this debate.
Federal Cartel Office warns: 50+1 rule in German football under pressure!
A hot potato in German football
The Federal Cartel Office is taking a closer look at the 50+1 rule in German football. This is done at the request of the German Football League (DFL), like fr.de reported. Since its introduction in 1998, the rule is intended to ensure that parent clubs retain control of their professional departments by holding at least 50% plus one vote. This review is particularly relevant because RB Leipzig is the focus of the discussion; The club seems to be circumventing the rule as the Red Bull company owns 99% of the shares while the parent club only holds 1%.
What did the Federal Cartel Office complain about? In its analysis, the authority makes three key points: Firstly, DFL plans to abolish the funding exception could endanger the continued existence of clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg. Secondly, according to the authority's assessment, there were violations of the parent club's right to give instructions, as was the case with Hannover 96. Thirdly, it is required that all first and second division clubs offer their fans the opportunity to be accepted as voting members. These demands are in line with the goal of ensuring a legally secure and non-discriminatory interpretation of the 50+1 rule, which the DFL says zeit.de now needs to be improved.
The DFL under pressure
The DFL has responded to the Federal Cartel Office's advice and plans to thoroughly discuss necessary changes to make the rule clearer and more manageable. DFL boss Hans Joachim Watzke emphasizes the importance of the rule for German football and the need for solutions that are acceptable for all clubs. However, the DFL must not forget that there must also be open access to membership and participation by fans in order to preserve the identity and roots of the clubs, as stated in another report zdf.de is to be read.
It is noteworthy that there have already been agreements between the DFL and the Cartel Office on the 50+1 rule in the past. However, the last votes on possible new regulations had to be postponed several times, which raised questions about whether standardization could be implemented. A clear line in dealing with the rule could be particularly important for clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, which benefit from exceptions.
Who is in charge?
The most criticized club, RB Leipzig, is an example of the challenges that come with the 50+1 rule. With only 23 members entitled to vote and over 1,100 supporting members who have no voting rights, the question arises: Are the decisions actually still democratically legitimate? The Cartel Office would like to achieve a clear and fair application of the rule in order to harmonize the conditions of competition for all clubs in the Bundesliga. Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, calls for non-discriminatory application and strengthening the participation of fans, because this is the only way to do justice to the diversity in German football, as well as from fr.de shown.
Overall, the topic remains exciting, and the DFL's future steps will be watched with great attention, because fans of German football want to ensure that their home club continues to develop healthily in the future, not only from a sporting but also from a democratic perspective.