Overview
- Fan groups grouped under Fanszenen Deutschlands and local bodies such as Nordkurve12 escalated public pressure on Friday by demanding that the long-standing exceptions for Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg be ended and that every club commit to full 50+1 membership control.
- The Bundeskartellamt told the league in August that 50+1 can meet EU law only if it is applied uniformly, a view that underpins fans’ calls and increases the risk of legal challenges if exceptions remain.
- Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg responded this week with conciliatory statements saying they take fan concerns seriously and will enter constructive talks with club and league bodies.
- The Bundesliga presidency has warned against an immediate enforcement that lacks transition rules, said it will present a compromise proposal in the first half of 2027, and plans a decisive club membership vote at the December 2026 meeting.
- 50+1 requires club members to hold decisive voting power; exceptions were granted to Bayer (1999) and Volkswagen/Wolfsburg (2001), and keeping or removing those exceptions could trigger lawsuits from owners or legal attacks by other investors, while fans say failure to act risks renewed stadium protests and reputational damage for the clubs.