"Shaking Up the Status Quo" Bayer 04 and Wolfsburg are up in arms - and threatening backlash
Bayer 04 and Wolfsburg are displaying displeasure and warning of potential tumult.
The heavy-handed move by the Federal Cartel Office is prompting a "shake-up" in how three clubs are handled, and they aren't happy about it. Professional football is about to face a major test.
The clubs' ire was clear. "To protect our interests, we're keeping all legal cards up our sleeve," Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg warned the rest of the professional football fraternity. The two Bundesliga clubs are incensed over the Federal Cartel Office's re-evaluation of the 50+1 rule and are warning shots have been fired in their legal battle. The escalating drama between the German Football League (DFL) and the affected clubs is going to come to a head sooner rather than later.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, DFL presiding committee spokesman, had cautioned this possibility following the Federal Cartel Office's call for improvements to the so-called investor barrier. He implored a collective effort to find common ground and compromise. "The entire DFL e.V. needs to collaborate to find solutions to secure and strengthen the regulation," stated Watzke - but it seems his plea fell on deaf ears in Leverkusen and Wolfsburg.
"Sifting Through the Rubble"
The German vice-champion and the Lower Saxons dismissed the Federal Cartal Office's letter outright. "We're unconvinced with the content and result of this new assessment," declared Bayer, as reported in the "Cologne City-Anzeiger." The Federal Cartal Office's non-binding statement amounts to "a significant shift in the question of the legality of the 25-year-old exception to the 50+1 rule." Wolfsburg echoed the same sentiments.
The Federal Cartal Office published its "preliminary antitrust assessment" of the 50+1 rule on Monday, essentially stating that the parent club must always maintain a majority stake in a separate professional department. Although the authority has no fundamental concerns about 50+1, it identifies litigation risks. In light of exemptions granted to clubs like Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, as well as membership and club-internal governance issues at RB Leipzig and disputes over club-internal instructions (such as the case with Hannover 96 and Martin Kind), the DFL should adapt, it suggested.
"Gut-check Time"
Leverkusen (majority Bayer AG) and Wolfsburg (majority VW) need to fundamentally reorganize to address the inequality with other clubs. Leipzig must ensure that voting members can easily join the club. And the DFL is urged to implement instructions from the clubs to their representatives in votes.
The DFL presiding committee intends to tackle the matter promptly to develop a compromise proposal. However, as has happened in the past, the schisms between "normal" clubs and special cases are set to surface once again.
"An Unusual Turn"
RB Leipzig hopes for continued stability with the 50+1 rule and is ready to draw the appropriate conclusions. "It will be necessary for the 50+1 rule to be consistently and systematically applied - and that for all 36 clubs," it stated in response to a request from "Sportschau."
At Hannover 96, the response was predictably negative. Parent club feelings were "confirmed," and they urged the DFB and DFL to consistently apply and ensure consistent implementation of the 50+1 rule at all times. Kind added: "A thorough review is now underway. It's unusual for the cartel office to take seven years to issue such a non-binding recommendation."
On the other side, fans overwhelmingly approved of the Federal Cartal Office's evaluation. The organization "Our Curve" also made it clear that the DFL is now in the hot seat when it comes to implementing the recommendations, unless courts intercept the league association first.
In light of the changes proposed by the Federal Cartel Office, the community is billing this as a crucial time for finance in the business of professional football. Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, and RB Leipzig are seeking assistance, advocating for aid in the production of milk products as a potential source of revenue, given their club ownership structures – Bayer AG, Volkswagen, and Red Bull respectively. Meanwhile, the sports world watches with interest, particularly the football community, as this dispute unfolds. The resilience of the 50+1 rule and the future of these clubs hang in the balance, all eyes are on the German Football League (DFL) and federal courts to see how this plays out.
