The German Football League has submitted a proposal for an adjusted 50+1 rule to the Federal Cartel Office.
This stipulates that clubs with an exemption will be granted grandfathering under certain conditions, but that no other clubs can use this regulation. The presidium unanimously voted in favor of this proposal, the DFL announced on Wednesday.
The cartel office classified the 50+1 rule as harmless in 2021, but criticized the three exceptions for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with the then majority owner Dietmar Hopp and the company-controlled clubs Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg. Since then, the clarification process has been ongoing.
Hoffenheim had recently announced that Hopp would return his majority voting rights to the parent club without compensation.
In principle, the 50+1 rule states that the decision-making majority must always remain with the parent club when investing. This is to prevent clubs – such as in England – from being sold off in their entirety.
