Overview
- Fan groups led by Fanszenen Deutschlands escalated pressure on Friday by calling for the immediate removal of all 50+1 exceptions and warning corporations against suing over changes.
- The Bundesliga presidium has urged a consensual, phased solution and said it will present a proposal in the first half of 2027 with a possible member vote in December to legitimise the plan.
- The Bundeskartellamt concluded that 50+1 can stand under EU law only if applied uniformly, creating two legal risks: revoking exceptions could prompt suits from Bayer or Volkswagen and keeping them could invite challenges from other investors.
- Bayer Leverkusen’s fan umbrella Nordkurve12 published a five‑point plan demanding transparency and full member participation, and the club has committed to talks aimed at a fair, legally secure outcome.
- 50+1 was introduced in the late 1990s to keep clubs member-controlled but long‑running ‘works club’ exceptions for Leverkusen and Wolfsburg date to 1999 and 2001, so the league’s decision will shape club ownership, legal exposure, and fan influence going forward.