No more exemptions to the German football 50+1 rule, says DFL

 

BERLIN – The German cartel office ruled on Thursday that there should be no further exemptions to the German football 50+1 rule besides the ones already in place.

The German 50+1 rule states that clubs must retain a voting majority – and normally also 50+1% of the shares – to stop investors from gaining control.

Clubs which have already been granted an exemption, such as Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg, will still receive a licence to compete in the Bundesliga or the second division, but they would have to grant members more involvement in the future.
In 2021, the cartel office concluded that the rule was “unproblematic” but raised concerns over the exemptions allowed by the German football league (DFL).

While SAP co-founder Dietmar Hopp has the majority voting rights at Hoffenheim, Leverkusen are controlled by pharmaceutical giants Bayer and Wolfsburg by German carmaker Volkswagen.

In Thursday’s decision, however, the cartel office said that “the commitments offered by the DFL appear to be suitable to dispel our preliminary antitrust concerns.”

These include grating representatives of the former parent club permanent seats on boards in order to exert more control over owners and clubs being firmly tied to their original location.

Hopp recently said that he’s ready to return his majority shares to the club without seeking compensation and give up his special exemption from the rule. Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have already signaled their agreement with the proposal.

Red Bull-backed RB Leipzig only adhere to the 50+1 rule on paper as they reserve the right to reject any membership application and have much higher fees than other German clubs.

Before a final decision is issued by the DFL, the German football federation (DFB), clubs and investors will be granted another legal hearing, the cartel office said.