Football matches on schedule. There are upcoming soccer matches to be played according to the schedule provided. - Bundesgerichtshof ponders Martin Kind's termination at Hannover 96.
Approaching the 2-year mark since Martin Kind's unsuccessful removal as director of second-division football club Hannover 96, the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe will tackle the case on Tuesday (10:00 am). Back in 2022, the Regional Court of Hanover decreed Kind's dismissal to be invalid, while the Higher Regional Court of Celle refused to entertain an appeal six months later. Now, the Karlsruhe magistrates are settling the feud between the football club administrator and its mother company. The outcome of this dispute may or may not be made public on Tuesday.
Kind, aged 79, is both the administrator and majority shareholder of the professional football division. The 50+1 rule, a staple in German professional football, aims to ensure that the parent club, not the wealthy affiliate, holds the majority of votes during such a corporate split. To abide by this principle, the managing director of Hannover 96 is stationed at the Management GmbH, a company not owned by Kind, but 100% by the parent club.
Citing this, the e.V. management axed Kind as managing director of the Hannover 96 Management GmbH in July 2022. The two parties have been locked in a long-standing conflict. Kind triumphed in his legal fight against his dismissal as the organization and its wealthy counterpart had forged the so-called Hannover-96 contract in 2019, which outlines their relationship. This pact includes a clause that states the status quo of the Management GmbH can only be modified, and a managing director can only be sacked, if the supervisory board of the Management GmbH approves. Within this council, there are two voting setups from the club side and two from the capital side.
