The fans of FC Bayern Munich sharply criticized the entry of an investor planned by the DFL before and during the first minutes of the Bundesliga game against RB Leipzig with an impressive choreography.
“DFL future strategy = sell-off to investors”, was written on one of the two huge banners in the south stand. The other read: “Instead of sustainable solutions”. Below them, numerous Bayern supporters held up white signs with black inscriptions. “Koan sellout,” it said. The “o” was a crossed-out DFL logo.
The background to the criticism is a billion-dollar deal that the association has been working on for several months. The “Future Scenarios” working group, made up of Jan-Christian Dreesen (FC Bayern), Rüdiger Fritsch (Darmstadt 98), Axel Hellmann (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Oliver Leki (SC Freiburg) – the latter two are the interim bosses of the DFL – are the drivers of the planned Sale of 12.5 percent of the shares in a subsidiary yet to be founded, to which the media rights will be outsourced, over 20 years.
This should generate two billion euros, which should primarily (750 million euros) be put into central marketing and the development of a streaming platform.
300 million euros should go to the clubs for free use (according to the currently applicable distribution key), the rest is earmarked for investments in infrastructure. Critics warn against a further cementing of the balance of power and against the possible influence of an investor.
FC Bayern: Clear rejection of the fans
The FC Bayern fan association “Club Nr. 12” also lists these and other criticisms in a letter published on Saturday entitled “Koan sell-off to investors”. Through the entry of investors, the “matchday fragmentation and fan-unfriendly kick-off times, which serve exclusively international TV marketing”, “foreign games”, “further monetization, the fan relationship with the club, for example in the form of fan tokens” and ” commercial “fan data exploitation” is feared.
It goes on to say: “The DFL and thus the clubs are opening up all sorts of horror scenarios again. Therefore, such an important decision must not be made without considering the largest group of those involved: namely the hundreds of thousands of members of the DFL clubs”.
The rejection also ties in with a fan poll released on Friday, in which 58 percent opposed the involvement of a funder and just 33.7 percent were in favour.
At a meeting of the 36 professional clubs on May 24th (as of now), a decision will be made on how to proceed. A secret ballot is expected so that the public cannot identify the clubs as supporters or opponents.
Leki meanwhile sees the merger of the first and second division clubs in the DFL threatened if the investor model fails. The Ausschere of the Bundesliga would then at least be discussed. “I’m a big fan of the 36,” said Leki Picture TV: “But I could imagine that the debate will be held.”
