Report: Union Berlin against investor vote

The German Football League wants to decide on Monday whether an investor will join. Suddenly there are warning words and a surprising suggestion from Union Berlin.

According to a report by “Kicker”, Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler has called for a postponement of the vote on investor entry into the Bundesliga in a letter to the German Football League and all 35 other professional clubs.

As the Sport-Blatt reports online, the letter criticizes, among other things, that the vote planned for Monday took place “at the wrong time”. Until now, Union Berlin has been considered a proponent of an investor model for professional football, despite the critical attitude of many of its supporters.

The expected lower profit sharing compared to the proposal rejected in May was also cited as a point of criticism by Union. The club declined to comment on the report after the 3-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. A statement is reportedly expected this weekend. The letter was apparently only sent to the clubs and the DFL on Saturday and only became public shortly afterwards via the media report.

A decision on a possible strategic marketing partnership is to be made at the DFL general meeting on Monday. Fans in numerous Bundesliga and second division stadiums had already spoken out against it. Similar plans had already failed on May 24th. A corresponding motion did not receive the required two-thirds majority.

The new partner is expected to pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The contract will have a maximum term of 20 years and will be signed by the start of the 2024/25 season. A large part of the income will flow into the further development of the DFL business model and, above all, into strengthening foreign marketing. The Berliners now warned, among other things, of the consequences of “multi-club ownership and purely return-oriented investor models”.