Frankfurt / Main (dpa) – The “Taskforce Future Professional Football” of the German Football League starts today, Tuesday, with its first working group.
More social responsibility, better management of the clubs, more equal opportunities in the Bundesliga, greater involvement of fans – these are central demands that should ensure a change in values in the overheated professional business.
The DFL general assembly then deals with the results of the working groups. The Bundesliga is forced to act in times of Corona, as the economic consequences are massive and football, with its salaries in the millions and insane transfer fees, is losing its social reputation. The German Press Agency lists the most important views:
THAT’S WHAT FOOTBALL WANTS: At the moment, the DFL is discussing the distribution of television money, and the smaller clubs in particular are paying more off. However, there will be no equal distribution of the billions in revenue. The difference between the national media is less of a problem than the gap that opens up between the Champions League participants and the rest of the league.
For example, after its triumph in the premier class, FC Bayern Munich received a record sum of 115.69 million euros in premium payments from UEFA. In addition, there is an almost double-digit million amount from the so-called market pool as well as the audience income from three home games in the group phase.
At the beginning of the Corona crisis, the Champions Legaue participants Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen provided 20 million euros in a solidarity campaign for the clubs in the 1st and 2nd league. In principle, however, according to their own statements, they are dependent on UEFA funds in order to remain internationally competitive. Some clubs are open to an upper salary limit and restrictions on consultant fees, but this must be compatible with EU law – and then also apply to other major leagues.
THE POLITICS WANT: Not only the Green politician Cem Özdemir is especially the high salaries of players a thorn in the side. “With such astronomical sums as at the moment, the question of justice simply arises. Much has gotten out of hand now. That’s not good for football in the long run. ” The 54-year-old belongs to the task force and sees a great need for reform. The aim is to counteract the “alienation of parts of the fans through advancing commercialization”. Özdemir also suggests that licensing be tied to reserves that the clubs must show.
SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil wants to advocate stricter rules for consultancy contracts as a participant. “That gets out of hand and has to be regulated,” he told the German press agency. Football is currently developing in a direction that he finds problematic: “Increasing commercialization, the growing distance between fans and clubs, but also between professional football and amateurs, have made many people more critical of football.” Klingbeil also hopes for suggestions on how women’s football can be promoted more strongly.
WHAT THE FANS WANT: The organized scene has already dealt with various topics in detail and made analyzes and suggestions public. The working groups in their “Future of Professional Football” project criticize, among other things, that football far too seldom fulfills its much-cited responsibility. “Human rights only play a subordinate role in new collaborations, if at all. A diverse and inclusive football often only exists on paper, »the representatives criticize. The “Our Football” initiative, which, according to its own statements, has now been joined by around half a million people, calls on clubs and associations to fundamentally redesign the future of football – “close to the grassroots, sustainable and contemporary”.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201012-99-920269 / 2
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