Martin Kind urgently needs to explain himself
The DFL plan to raise fresh money via an investor just managed to achieve the necessary majority. But in the aftermath, the secret vote raises more and more questions. Statements suggest that Martin Kind voted differently for Hannover 96 than the club had requested.
In the debate about voting behavior in the upcoming investor deal in German professional soccer, Hannover 96 is in danger of another rift. The parent club reserves the right to take action against majority shareholder Martin Kind. "If it turns out that we acted contrary to instructions, we will have to think about it internally," said a board member of the parent club.
The club, which is at odds with Kind's side, had instructed the 79-year-old to vote against the deal. After the names of the clubs with no votes became known, there are serious doubts as to whether Kind had done so. The required two-thirds majority of 24 votes in favor (10 against and 2 abstentions) was only achieved by a very narrow margin.
According to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, only FC Köln, Union Berlin and SC Freiburg from the Bundesliga voted against. From the 2nd division, six no votes in the secret ballot came from FC St. Pauli, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hertha BSC, 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Eintracht Braunschweig, the seventh, according to the "Bild" newspaper, from 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Lautern did not respond to a request for comment. Bundesliga club FC Augsburg and second division club VfL Osnabrück abstained.
If this information corresponds to the actual voting behavior, all ten "no" votes would have been distributed as well as the two abstentions - and Kind would have apparently voted "yes" for Hannover 96 and ignored the club's instructions.
Dispute between Kind and parent club has been going on for years
"In principle, we have asked Mr. Kind in writing to take a stand and the answer is still pending," said the board member. Kind and the capital side of the club did not wish to comment. The 96 boss had already referred to the secret ballot after the vote on Monday.
It is unclear whether the investor deal could even be overturned. The parent club has no right of appeal under association law, but other clubs could challenge the decision. Club chairman Sebastian Kramer explained to Bild that the lack of clarity regarding 50+1 from the e.V.'s point of view "may now have enabled a result that is favorable to the DFL through this decisive vote".
Kind and the parent club can look back on a long dispute. In the complicated structure of Hannover 96, Kind is on the capital side, while his opponents have been at the helm of 96 e.V. since 2019. The dispute is primarily about how to deal with the 50+1 rule in Hannover. This is intended to ensure that the parent clubs retain the right to issue instructions even if they have spun off their professional soccer operations into a corporation. "The situation has only arisen because the DFL has not moved on the issue of ensuring the right to issue directives in Hannover for a year now. Mr. Kind has repeatedly failed to comply with this right to issue instructions," the board member continued.
The parent club had already failed against Kind in several courts and was not allowed to remove the long-time club boss as managing director of the outsourced professional soccer operation. The e.V. had attempted to do so in July 2022.
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- Despite Hannover 96 instructing Martin Kind to vote against the investor deal in Bundesliga 2 soccer, there are doubts whether he followed these instructions, as his vote might have contributed to achieving the necessary two-thirds majority.
- The secret vote in the DFL meetings has sparked a debate within Hannover 96, as the club's stance opposes Kind's actions, potentially leading to internal discussions about Kind's position as majority shareholder.
- The Bundesliga 2 club, Hannover 96, faces potential conflict with Martin Kind if he indeed voted contrary to the club's instruction while discussing the investor deal, as these actions might lead to unfavorable consequences.
Source: www.ntv.de
