Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke and Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler have spoken out in favor of investors in professional football.
“You can’t hide the three years of Corona,” he added: “We at BVB alone lost 151 million euros as a result.” Losses that could be compensated more easily thanks to investors: “We want and need to do something to improve our ability to invest.”
The fact that the vast majority of football fans are opposed to external financiers can also be explained by the fact that “the league and the clubs have not provided good information so far,” said Zingler: “We have to communicate better on this matter, because the issue is investors not a bad subject.”
He sees the debate as “hypocritical in parts”. The clubs would have to “say clearly what we are actually planning to do. Because we know exactly what we do not want – namely a co-determination of the investors. There will be no one telling us when and where we play.”
Zingler was referring, among other things, to statements made by Donata Hopfen. The former head of the German Football League (DFL) had mentioned hosting the German Supercup in Saudi Arabia as an option, which “certainly didn’t help” in the discussion about the credibility of football, according to Zingler. For Watzke, Hopfen’s statement “did damage, of course.”
Watzke: Increase in admission prices without investors?
Investors are also valuable with a view to top stars in the Bundesliga, emphasized Watzke: “Anyone who calls for stars like Haaland (Erling Haaland, ed.) to be bought and kept must also know that revenue would then inevitably have to be increased .” Without external sponsors, this would “probably also result in a significant increase in ticket prices, among other things.”
“Everything would be much, much more expensive for the fans. Of course it’s not possible to keep or buy international top stars and at the same time let the standing room ticket only cost eight euros,” stressed Watzke.
