What is 50+1 rule?
The 50+1 rule is a central pillar of German professional football, aimed at ensuring that the club members maintain control over the professional part of a football club.
This rule since 1999, suggests that the original club, for example Bayern Munich should keep 50% plus in its spoon-off professional football company in a list of one vote, in this case, FC Bayern Munich Football AG.
This ensures that most of the voting rights always live with the club and its members.
The rule in German professional football is mainly monitored by the German Football League (DFL). The DFL is the League Association responsible for the organization and regulation of Bundesleiga and the second level, Bundesleiga 2.
The Federal Cartel Office plays on the Central Competition Authority of Germany, ie an important role. Since 2018, the office is reviewing the 50+1 rule for a violation of the possible competition law.
What is the purpose of the rule?
The rule prevents external investors from taking full control of a club and managing it on a financial basis, potentially disregard the interests of fans.
50+1 Therefore ensures a certain level of equality, because it is not possible for a club to invest more money to his powerful investor with a controlled stake than clubs for his powerful investor.
Fan culture, which is very strong in German football, is a major component that is preserved. Fans in Germany are not only the audience but the members of the active club, for example, the annual general meeting has one of the important club decisions.
Most of the organized fans in Germany oppose the commercialization of football. 50+1 rule is therefore great importance to them.
What are the exceptions to the rule?
A special rule allows investors to get a majority stake in a professional football division after 20 years of investment. Bundesliga Clubs Bayer Leverkusen and VFL Wolfsburg are currently allowed to control by companies, as they have received constant and significant support from them for more than 20 years.
Bayer 04 Levercusene Phubol GMBH is fully owned by Chemical Company Bayer AG, and VFL Volfsburg-Passball is owned by GMBH Volkswagen Group.
By 2023, the discount applied to the TSG Hoffenheim, one of the co-founders of the software company SAP, supported by Patron Dietamar Hope. Hope organized most of the voting rights.
However, in June 2023, Hope waived his majority rights and returned voting rights to Parent Club. This means that TSG is once again a normal 50+1 club.
RB leipzig is a special case. Although the club formally follows the rule, it is criticized as it has only 23 polling members, most of whom have closed ties to sponsor the red bull. Critics alleged that it broke it without breaking the rule.
The Federal Cartel Office is currently calling for more open access to improvement and membership for leapzig. In relation to Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, after investigating recent changes in the Sports Antique Act from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), they recommend amending the amendment of the rebate applied to the pair.
Is there any criticism of the rule?
Critics argue that the 50+1 system leads to financial loss to German football clubs compared to other countries. While teams in England, France or Saudi Arabia can reach a huge amount for thanks to their investors, the rule prohibits increasing the capital of German clubs. Potential investors are discouraged as they (a lot) invest money, but do not gain control over the club in turn.
Another point of criticism is that the rule can be sidelined in practice (RB leapzing, for example), it becomes ineffective. Other investors who want the General Lake give it a lake as a barrier to structural reforms in football and entrepreneurship flexibility.
Do other countries fans want 50+1 rules?
Many fans from other countries want to see models such as 50+1 rules – specifically in response to controversial investor acquisition and increasing influence of large investors and nation states.
After the operation of the Premier League Club Newcastle United in 2021, Saudi sovereign Wellab Fiff raised some voices into England, although not with fans in Germany.
In 2021, a super league was briefly looted, in which six English clubs wanted to participate originally, ie fuel to discussions.
In France, criticism is growing dominance of investor-down clubs such as Paris St.-Germen, which is controlled by Katri Sovern Wealth Find. Nice, Olympic Lyon, Olympic Marsile, Monaco and Tools are majority by foreign investors.
Many fans want to say more and a strong relationship between clubs and their membership basis.
Meanwhile, traditional Italian clubs such as AC Milan and Inter have changed ownership several times in recent years, usually with very little idea for the interests of fans.
Calls are increasing loudly to limit the impact of investors and protect clubs identity.
Real Madrid and Barcelona remain members-row in Spain, but some small clubs owe foreign investors. Here too, movements are carried forward to return to the member-elevated structure.
And in Brazil, where the football market was opened to investors only in 2021, concerns about their identity losing clubs are increasing.
Therefore, there are also initiative, fans as well as sports iconomists, lawyers and politicians, advocating the introduction of legal safety mechanisms based on German models.
This article was original in German.
