Union in favour of new vote on investor in German football
Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler is also in favour of a new vote on the entry of an investor in the German Football League (DFL), echoing the calls from VfB Stuttgart president Claus Vogt.
"We're doing something that has never been done in German professional football and that will change it. If we want to be successful with this, regardless of the type and manner of possible investments, there must be no doubt about the legality of the necessary votes," he told the Die Welt newspaper.
Union are convinced that not all alternatives have been sufficiently analysed to enable investments.
"Our suggestion is that the executive committee should put the chosen model to an open and transparent vote at a DFL general meeting. Because without solid legitimization, there is no acceptance," Zingler said.
On Wednesday, Stuttgart president Vogt said that it should be discussed whether a "new, transparent vote of all 36 clubs in the DFL is necessary. I think: Yes, it is necessary!"
In December 2023, 24 of the 36 Bundesliga and second division clubs who are part of the DFL voted in favour of bringing in a strategic partner in a bid to strengthen its marketing, especially abroad.
According to dpa information, Union, Freiburg and Cologne were the only Bundesliga clubs to vote against an investor.
Fans have been protesting for weeks against the decision - by bringing banners to the stadiums and throwing objects onto the pitch, causing match interruptions.
Last weekend, the second tier match between Hertha Berlin and SV Hamburg was interrupted for more than half an hour because fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch. Another incident after the restart would have seen the game abandoned.
The Bundesliga match between Freiburg and VfB Stuttgart was also stopped in each half when fans threw chocolate coins and other objects onto the playing field. Chocolate coins were also thrown at the Cologne v Eintracht Frankfurt match.
Fans fear that the entry of investors will lead to a further fragmentation of matchdays, the staging of matches abroad and a weakening of the 50+1 rule, which essentially stipulates that investors cannot acquire a majority of voting rights in German clubs' joint-stock company.
Zingler said he understands the fans and criticized the DFL for a lack of communication. The very peaceful and moderate protests over the course of a year had been completely ignored.
"The logical development is therefore an increase in the forms of protest to the point where matches are now being interrupted," he said.
