- Ballon d'Or wins 'normal' for Barcelona star Bonmati
- Spain flooding 'catastrophe' should serve as a warning, EU says at nature summit
- Verstappen blasts 'biased' critics as world title tension builds
- Mpox is not under control, warns Africa CDC
- Spain flood death toll soars to 158, 'dozens' missing
- OpenAI releases ChatGPT search engine, taking on Google
- Hamilton says Norris can win Formula One title in 'down to wire' chase
- Tsitsipas like a 'bull' to keep ATP Finals hopes alive
- England captain George rejects Marler call for New Zealand to axe haka
- More than 400 people come forward over Al-Fayed sexual abuse claims
- Strikes near south, east Lebanon cities after Israel evacuation calls
- Van Nistelrooy 'motivated' to help managerless Man Utd
- Mud and misery grip epicentre of Spain floods
- Georgia says ruling party won disputed election, opposition calls protests
- Harris slams 'offensive' Trump as rivals go west
- US election, tech jitters rattle global stocks
- Harris slams 'offensive' Trump as rivals hit western battlegrounds
- Tsitsipas keeps ATP Finals hopes alive with gritty Paris win
- Turkey opposition protests at mayor's arrest for 'PKK ties'
- EU greenhouse gas emissions saw 'huge' drop in 2023
- Musk a no-show at $1 mn giveaway US court hearing
- Beauden Barrett starts at fly-half for New Zealand against England
- Musk's millions: Five ways the world's richest man helps Trump
- Spain flood death toll soars to 158
- Harris, Trump head west in US election race countdown
- Amorim promises 'clarification' on Man Utd manager's job on Friday
- Macron to speak inside Notre Dame for cathedral reopening: archbishop
- Man Utd target Amorim says no decision before Friday
- US Fed's favored inflation gauge cools in September
- Global stocks slide on US election, tech worries
- All Blacks coach Robertson defends haka after jibe from England's Marler
- French PM Barnier 'doing well' after operation
- Two children among three dead in Ukraine airstrike
- Spain urges flood-stricken residents to stay home during rescue
- Nepal's day of the dog as part of Hindu celebrations
- Not enough time in universe for monkeys to pen Shakespeare: study
- South Africa sweep Bangladesh series with crushing innings victory
- All Blacks recall big guns for England clash
- Musk to appear in court as part of Trump campaign suit
- Spain urges hard-hit regions to stay home during flood rescue
- Sales slump 27% at carmaker Stellantis
- Global stocks decline after weak Wall Street lead
- French PhD student held in Tunisia: supervisor
- Yao Ming quits after seven years as head of Chinese basketball
- US envoys in Israel to seek Lebanon truce plan
- EU probes shopping app Temu over illegal products
- Spain mourns after historic floods kill 95
- New doubt over production cuts in plastic pollution treaty
- Top MotoGP riders want Valencia race moved after deadly floods
- Yao Ming quits as head of China's basketball association
RBGPF | -0.13% | 60.92 | $ | |
RYCEF | -5.69% | 6.86 | $ | |
AZN | -1.95% | 71.44 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.24% | 24.53 | $ | |
NGG | -2.03% | 63.775 | $ | |
SCS | -0.99% | 12.11 | $ | |
RIO | -1.35% | 65.025 | $ | |
BTI | 1.56% | 34.905 | $ | |
RELX | -1.31% | 46.305 | $ | |
VOD | -1.35% | 9.265 | $ | |
BCE | 0.31% | 32.341 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.27% | 24.764 | $ | |
JRI | 0.53% | 13.119 | $ | |
BCC | 0.04% | 134.425 | $ | |
BP | 1.39% | 29.43 | $ | |
GSK | -0.54% | 36.81 | $ |
Bundesliga boss says rejection of investor deal 'bad for the league'
Bundesliga boss Hans-Joachim Watzke said Tuesday the rejection of a planned investor deal, shelved after widespread fan protests, was "bad for the league".
Last week the German Football Leagues (DFL) which runs the Bundesliga abandoned a planned billion-euro investment deal, which had previously been approved by the necessary two-thirds majority of clubs, due largely to fan protests resulting in long delays at matches.
Fans had littered pitches with everything from tennis balls to chocolate coins in opposition to the plan to swap a portion of the league's future media revenues for an upfront cash injection.
DFL chairman Watzke told AFP and other journalists on Tuesday that fans "in Germany have a problem with investors".
"Germans are traditional, perhaps even a bit old-fashioned.
"In Germany, investor is perhaps not the best word."
German football has a notable commitment to fan control and involvement via a "50+1" rule which restricts the degree of influence an external investor can have over a club.
The rule remains enduringly popular among German fans, many of whom value it more than domestic or international competitiveness.
The DFL had promised the new deal would include supporter-friendly protections against changes in kick-off times or moving competitive fixtures abroad.
"Our contract with the investor had clear red lines that nothing could happen which would be a problem for the fans, but the problem was that fans didn't believe us.
"It's actually a problem in German society. Every idea that you tell the public, the public says 'not good'."
Watzke said the protests did not reflect the opinion of the average fan.
"Five percent of the fans -- which is not so much, but they're the organised fans -- were against it.
"The average fans had no problem, but they did not tell anyone.
"Maybe 500 or 800 in the stadium, the organised fans, they had a clear position -- no investor."
The 64-year-old said the protests had changed the atmosphere around the deal, with clubs getting cold feet.
"As the boss of the Bundesliga, I always had the feeling that the clear majority of clubs supported it, but in the past weeks that changed.
"When I recognised that the majority was not there, then I stopped it."
Watzke said the result will hit mid-table teams the hardest, rather than those at the top of the tree.
"You can be sure that there's no problem for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
"It's a problem for the other clubs in the league. The money from the investor would be perfect to help the whole Bundesliga grow.
"Bayern and Dortmund will make our own way if it's necessary."
Watzke is also also CEO of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and he was speaking on Tuesday to announce the opening of Dortmund's first office in New York, where fellow Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich have had a presence for a decade.
T.Ward--AMWN