Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes the Bundesliga has "no choice but to scrap" the 50+1 ownership rule to remain competitive in a "global" game, according to Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN.com. The 50+1 rule, which stipulates that more than 50% of a club must be owned by its members, has "come under increasing scrutiny, with officials from several clubs saying they feel the fight to keep it is being lost." The rule "limits outside investment from rich benefactors as it is not possible for them to be anything other than a minority shareholder without a controlling stake." Rummenigge wants every club to "have the right to decide if it wants to follow a different business model." He said, "Personally, I am in favor of leaving it to every club to decide whether they open the door on outside capital. We are the only of the top five leagues with this luxury. We have a competition which I believe is not only national, but also global." Support for the rule has "already declined," especially with the rise of RB Leipzig, which "found ways of bypassing the rule despite effectively being owned by Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull" (ESPN.com, 9/7).
