Union boss denounces expensive "envy" among clubs
The 36 clubs in the top German soccer leagues are to vote on the possible entry of an investor into German club soccer. There is anger among the clubs about the procedure, the boss of Union Berlin sees the clubs in a position of weakness. That could be very, very expensive.
In a letter to the German Football League and the other 35 professional clubs, Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler has called for a postponement of the vote on an investment and sharply criticized the behaviour of other clubs.
"Allowing an investor to come to our table for the first time on the basis of the lowest common denominator is inappropriate for the fundamental importance of this process. Instead, we should spend time and effort on achieving unity, establishing a broad consensus among all parties involved, developing a position of strength," demanded the head of the Champions League participant in the letter published on the Eiserners' homepage on Sunday.
Zingler left no doubt about his fundamental commitment to an investor buy-in and criticized the opponents of the model that failed in May. "Investing wisely in German professional soccer, in our own path, is necessary. But our small-mindedness and mutual envy have repeatedly prevented us from doing so: Because others are supposedly unfairly getting more than my club, I prefer to vote against it altogether," he said, describing his view of events in the spring. A new vote on the slimmed-down model now comes "at the wrong time".
Clubs argue, fans protest
The expected lower revenue share compared to the proposal rejected in May was also cited as a point of criticism by Union. "Today, one percent revenue share in our media rights for 20 years 'costs' a potential partner around 112 million euros. In the spring, the value was still up to 176 million euros," Zingler calculated.
A decision on a possible strategic marketing partnership is to be made at the DFL general meeting on Monday. Fans in numerous Bundesliga and second division stadiums have already taken a stand against this. Similar plans had already failed once before on May 24. A corresponding motion did not receive the required two-thirds majority.
The new partner is to pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The contract is to have a maximum term of 20 years and be signed by the start of the 2024/25 season. A large part of the revenue is to be used to further develop the DFL business model and, in particular, to strengthen international marketing. The Berliners have now warned of the consequences of multi-club ownership and purely profit-oriented investor models, among other things. "The cultural significance and social anchoring of soccer are receiving less and less attention in such constellations. That must not be our path," wrote Zingler.
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Source: www.ntv.de
