Bundesliga clubs "have decided to put a stop to ambitious investors," according to the SID. Third parties, whether they are companies or private investors, "will not be allowed to invest in more than three clubs and hold a stake of more than 10% in only one of them." Existing investments, such as those by Volkswagen, "are excluded from the rule due to a provision to safeguard existing standards." The German Football League (DFL) said in a statement that it decided to limit these multi investments "to secure the integrity and authenticity of the competition." The Volkswagen Group has stakes in Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich (around 10% through subsidiary Audi) and VfL Wolfsburg along with 2nd Bundesliga side FC Ingolstadt (also through Audi) (SID, 3/26).
COURT DATE? In a separate piece, the SID reported moving the 2022 World Cup from summer to winter "could have legal ramifications for FIFA." DFL CEO Christian Seifert said, "Leagues may consider legal action to determine if they have to accept such a decision." Shortly after formally announcing the switch, FIFA reached a deal with the European Clubs Association "to triple the player release payments to clubs" to $209M starting with the 2018 World Cup. Seifert: "The significant increase in release payments is a positive sign." However, he said that it remains to be seen if certain clubs will suffer "economic damages" (SID, 3/26).
IN ANOTHER LEAGUE: The SID also reported Seifert said that "'English proportions' on the bank account are unattainable for the Bundesliga." Seifert: "We cannot use those figures as guidelines -- but we also can't ignore them. There's no move that would bring us close to the English level. The premise is to combine all interests under one hat" (SID, 3/26).
