Bundesliga boss blasts fans for investment collapse

BERLIN — Bundesliga boss Hans-Joachim Watzke said on 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 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," he said.

Germany's "50+1" rule ensures fans hold a voting majority at clubs and restricts the degree of influence an external investor can have.

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 kickoff 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 organized fans — were against it," he said. "The average fans had no problem, but they did not tell anyone. Maybe 500 or 800 in the stadium, the organized fans, they had a clear position — no investor."

The 64-year-old said the protests had caused clubs to get cold feet about the deal.

"I always had the feeling that the clear majority of clubs supported it, but in the past weeks that changed," he said. "When I recognized 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," he added. "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 CEO of Dortmund and he was speaking on Tuesday to announce the opening of the club's first office in New York, where fellow Bundesliga heavyweight Bayern has had a presence for a decade.

Watzke admitted Dortmund has not hit top form in the Bundesliga this season despite its solid Champions League run. The club faces PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on March 13, with the score tied at 1-1. In the Bundesliga, a top-four finish to qualify for next season's Champions League remains the goal.

Dortmund is in fourth place on 41 points, one ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig. Stuttgart is third (47), Bayern is second (53), with Bayer Leverkusen (61) top. The top four teams qualify for the Champions League next season.

AFP