In its review of the 50+1 rule in German soccer, the Federal Cartel Office has called on the DFL to make improvements. In principle, the authority has no fundamental concerns, according to another interim decision. However, it is of the opinion that the DFL should "take concrete measures to ensure that the rule is applied with legal certainty in future".
Case closure planned
The German Football League, the affected clubs and investors now have the opportunity to comment. According to the Federal Cartel Office, it then intends to "finalize the recommendations and then discontinue the proceedings".
The DFL, as the umbrella organization of the 36 professional clubs, and the Federal Cartel Office had already agreed in principle on changes to the controversial 50+1 rule in 2023. At its core, this rule stipulates that investors cannot acquire a majority of votes in the capital companies of clubs. Exceptions have so far been made for VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen. The necessary vote of the clubs on the new regulation at a general meeting has already had to be postponed several times.
