German Football League (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert said that Bundesliga side SC Freiburg "has no longterm future in professional football without a new stadium," according to the BADISCHE ZEITUNG. With his comment, Seifert confirmed the arguments of Freiburg's management. The club loses out on income of €3M-€5M ($3.4M-$5.6M) annually in comparison to league rivals. The Bundesliga's average attendance is 43,000, according to Seifert, and with only 23,400 spectators per game Freiburg is second to last. The gap would increase without a new stadium. In recent years, Freiburg "has received temporary permission from the DFL to use its current stadium." Seifert: "In the long run, SC [Freiburg] won't play professional football in this stadium." The club "is one of the Bundesliga's top three clubs in terms of its economic health." Seifert said that "should the public referendum kill the proposed plans for a new stadium then Freiburg simply does not deserve a top-flight team." The referendum will take place on Sunday (
BADISCHE ZEITUNG, 1/25).
