No decision has yet been made in a process regarding Corona aid between Fortuna Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf district government. The hearing at the Düsseldorf Administrative Court will continue at a later date. There is no date for this yet.
The district government is demanding a repayment of Corona bridging aid amounting to 1.7 million euros from the second division football team. The process is about the extent to which, in addition to the pandemic, sporting reasons – in this case relegation from the 2020 Bundesliga – contributed to the decreased sales and how this has an impact on Corona aid.
The judge in charge expressed doubts today that the repayment was legal, as a court spokeswoman said at the request of the German Press Agency. The district government justifies its demand by saying that it is permanent administrative practice in North Rhine-Westphalia to demand back aid if the loss of sales is not exclusively due to corona. However, the judge did not recognize this constant administrative practice.
If the district government does get it right, other clubs could face similar demands in the future. The Düsseldorf ruling could then serve as an example.
