To remain internationally competitive, the German Football League (DFL) plans to sell shares in a marketing subsidiary to an investor. The deal could bring billions.
According to Sportbild, it would be with CVC Capital Partners (Luxembourg) – which has already invested in Primera Division (€ 2.7 billion for 10 percent) and Ligue 1 (€ 1.5 billion for 13 percent) – Blackstone Group (USA), Advent International (USA), KKR & Co. (USA), EQT Partners AB (Sweden), Bridgepoint Capital (England) and Bain Capital (USA) give seven possible candidates.
The DFL hints at a mega deal that can bring several billion for the 1st and 2nd leagues to stay competitive internationally. The plan: The league wants to sell the shares of a newly founded DFL marketing subsidiary to an investor. Which brings back the sporty image.
It is not yet clear how the DFL will proceed strategically. A five-person team led by CEO Donata Hopfen is currently reviewing the procedure. Noisy sporty image There are two variants: on the one hand, the DFL may charge a fixed amount and ask investors how many shares they would like to have. The other variation is that the DFL determines the number of shares on sale and then starts bidding.
As the DFL has a company value of up to € 20 billion, a 20 percent sales share could result in € 4 billion for the club. The next general meeting of the 36 professional clubs will be held on November 17, when they will be briefed on the decision-making strategy. A final decision is therefore expected to be made in early 2023. First, however, there is a preselection with three potential investors.
