Union boss takes issue with criticism of "shitty DFL"
When the first and second division soccer clubs vote in favor of the investor deal, 1. FC Union does not give its consent. But president Dirk Zingler is not so anti, he even describes his club as a "story of courageous investors". He considers the criticism of the "shitty DFL" to be wrong.
Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler has reiterated that he is generally open to investors in German soccer - as long as the type of deal is right. "We as Union are not fundamentally against investors in soccer for ideological reasons, because we ourselves are a club that has repeatedly invested in all its areas with outside capital for 20 years. 1. FC Union Berlin is a story of courageous investors," said Zingler in an interview with the Bundesliga club.
Union Berlin was not one of the 24 first and second division clubs that gave their approval for the planned entry of an investor to the German Football League (DFL) in mid-December. "We voted against this type of investor deal because we don't think it's good for the league. Because we believe that we are making a decision for a period of 20 years that we cannot yet foresee," explained Zingler and added in general: "I am very clearly against investors who are purely interested in returns. I am against multi-club ownership. I am against investors who actually change our soccer."
After months of campaigning, the DFL's top management received the mandate to enter into negotiations for a strategic partnership with an external investor. 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 will be used to further develop the DFL business model and, in particular, to strengthen international marketing.
In the summer, Zingler had vehemently defended the then planned and failed minority stake of an investor in the DFL and the hoped-for billions in revenue from the sale of part of the media rights together with previous purchaser Hans-Joachim Watzke of Borussia Dortmund.
There had recently been fierce criticism of the recent decision from the fan camps. "I also appeal once again to this term 'fucking DFL' in the protests. It's once again blurred, because basically the DFL employees didn't make the decision and neither did Mr. Lenz and Mr. Merkel as managing directors. It was decided by the clubs. So if it says 'Shit DFL', that's once again the wrong addressee," said Zingler.
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Despite Union Berlin not supporting the investor deal in the soccer league, President Dirk Zingler acknowledges the role of investors in the club's history, calling 1.FC Union Berlin a "story of courageous investors." Furthermore, Zingler criticizes the derogatory term "shitty DFL" used in protests, explaining that the decision was made by the clubs, not DFL's top management.
Source: www.ntv.de
