Soccer - After club vote: DFL intensifies search for investors
There are unlikely to be any gaps in Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel's schedule in the coming weeks. The two managing directors of the German Football League want to conclude the billion-euro deal with an external investor by the end of March next year. Deutsche Presse-Agentur answers the most important questions.
Who is the DFL negotiating with?
A total of six companies have expressed their interest. Talks are already underway and are now to be intensified. According to Marc Lenz, all potential partners have accepted the guidelines set out by the DFL. A joint business plan within the key points will be discussed in detail with the bidders and the desired added value of a partner will be examined," said Lenz and announced: "We will continue the process with several interested parties." According to ARD information, three offers are considered particularly promising.
What does the DFL plan to do with the money?
600 million euros are to flow into a package of various measures for digitalization and internationalization. These include the development of its own streaming platform to create competition for bidders abroad in particular, the expansion of foreign marketing and legal protection against piracy. 100 million euros are earmarked for the promotion of foreign travel by Bundesliga clubs. The remaining 300 million euros will serve as a reserve for paying off the investor shares in the first six to seven years.
How high are the payments to a future investor?
It is envisaged that the 36 professional clubs will have to forgo a maximum of eight percent of the income from media rights for 20 years upon conclusion of the agreement. These will be reallocated next year for the 2025/26 to 2028/29 seasons. New formats, offers and perspectives will be developed "to support our media partners even more in providing the right offer for fans of all generations," announced Steffen Merkel. For the future, the DFL is hoping for rising revenues to offset the obligation to the investor. "We will be able to offer a significantly upgraded media product in 2024," said Merkel. "We will go into the tender with confidence."
What do fans think of the billion-euro deal?
The majority reject the entry of an investor. "Money is above all else. The uniqueness of German soccer is being thrown overboard for a hopeless rat race with the Premier League," criticized the "Unsere Kurve" alliance. Most supporters fear that the investor will exert a strong influence and thus distort competition. Merkel promised to handle the mandate "very responsibly". And Lenz assured: "There are red lines that will not be crossed."
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Source: www.stern.de
