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2w ago

Merz Backs 50+1 as DFL Re-Elects Watzke and Confronts Spending Strain

Antitrust scrutiny of investor limits is pushing the league toward tighter financial controls.

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Mit 68 Jahren muss sich der Ex-Politiker vor dem Landgericht Mönchengladbach verantworten
Eng befreundet: Dietmar Hopp (l.) und Roger Wittmann

Overview

  • Hans-Joachim Watzke was unanimously confirmed as DFL presidium speaker and urged clubs to preserve 50+1, calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s public endorsement politically helpful.
  • The Bundeskartellamt has requested legally robust adjustments to ensure 50+1 can be applied securely, with the response window for the DFL and affected clubs extended to mid-October.
  • League leaders highlighted the competitiveness gap with the Premier League, citing stagnant international TV income of roughly €218 million and low minutes for homegrown players, and floated a salary cap and UEFA-style sustainability rules.
  • Uli Hoeneß condemned this summer’s transfer spending as “völlig gaga,” warned against taking distorting investor money, and said Bayern should view the Champions League as underdogs given the financial imbalance.
  • Separately, a 68-year-old former FDP local politician from Viersen went on trial in Mönchengladbach, accused of nearly €38 million in VAT evasion through alleged fictitious car transactions.