German Football League Provides Licenses To All Candidate Clubs In First Phase

All 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga "have overcome the first obstacle of the German Football League's (DFL) licensing process," according to the HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT. In the first phase, the DFL "did not deny licenses to any professional club or any club with aspirations to get promoted." However, several of the 49 total candidates "have to fulfill certain restrictions and requirements by the end of May." It is not yet known if Bundesliga side Hamburg SV "is one those clubs." The clubs have until Tuesday "to file a complaint against the DFL's first round of decisions." The DFL will make a second round of decisions on May 7. Third League football club RasenBallsport Leipzig "is one of the teams that received the license for the 2nd Bundesliga with restrictions and requirement." The same is true for current 2nd Bundesliga side VfL Bochum, which "has to improve its financial situation by the end of May" (HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT, 4/22).