SAP Co-Founder Dietmar Hopp To Become Majority Owner Of TSG Hoffenheim

SAP co-Founder Dietmar Hopp "is expected to become the majority owner of Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim" in '15, according to the SID. The German Football League (DFL) on Thursday confirmed that Hopp "will be allowed to take over the majority ownership on July 1." Hopp is therefore avoiding the so-called "50+1" rule, which "is supposed to keep the majority of votes with club members." The only thing now that stands between Hopp becoming the majority owner of the club "is the approval of the German Football Federation (DFB)." The reason for the exemption is Hopp's long-term involvement in the club's professional football team along with its amateur teams. The DFL only grants an exemption from the rule "if an entity has been involved in the football department of a club for more than 20 years and without any interruption." Hoffenheim "has welcomed the DFL's decision," with club President Peter Hofmann saying, "Dietmar Hopp fully exemplifies the DFL's criteria" (SID, 12/18).