First Hans-Joachim Watzke announced the new dual leadership in the German Football League, then the DFL supervisory board chairman called for a great solidarity in overcoming the “difficult situation” in German football.
17 hours after separating from managing director Donata Hopfen, Watzke confirmed at the beginning of an almost hour-long press conference in a hotel not far from Frankfurt that Axel Hellmann and Oliver Leki will lead the umbrella organization of German professional football on an interim basis until June 30, 2023.
“We have a few processes running that we are trying to implement relatively quickly. We have to be able to act immediately,” Watzke explained the unanimous decision of the supervisory board to appoint the 51-year-old spokesman for the board of Eintracht Frankfurt and the 49-year-old chief financial officer of SC Freiburg. “Both have the absolute ability to do that. If you see how the clubs of the two have developed, that also speaks for the work of these two,” emphasized Watzke.
DFL wants to rely on teamwork
The transition phase will give the DFL the time it needs to find a “sustainable solution” at the top by July 1, 2023. In the search for suitable personnel, external help will be dispensed with. “Let’s see if we can do it ourselves without a recruitment agency. I’m curious,” said Watzke.
After Christian Seifert’s almost 17-year era of success and Hopfen’s tenure of less than twelve months, the DFL will be focusing on teamwork in the future. Watzke envisages a management with two, maximum three members. Given the range that football now covers, “you can no longer deliver a one-man show,” emphasized the 63-year-old.
The BVB boss hopes that the German record champions FC Bayern will be more involved in managing the complex processes. He has already discussed this with Oliver Kahn, the CEO of the industry leader from Munich. It is important “that even the largest and most successful German football club is always included in our considerations,” said Watzke, adding: “The simplest, most direct, most uncomplicated solution would be if Oliver Kahn ran for the presidency. I would like that personally very happy.”
First solutions by next summer
Hellmann and Leki, who for reasons of integrity are not given any powers in the areas of licensing and game operations, should ideally have solved the most urgent tasks by next summer. “It’s my dream,” said Watzke.
On the one hand, there is the question of whether the league wants to open up to external investors in order to get fresh money. The majority of the 36 professional clubs had rejected that in the previous year. An investor is only useful “if we increase income as a result,” said Watzke.
On the other hand, the cartel office is pushing for a solution in the implementation of the 50 1 rule, which Watzke still sees as a threat. The regulation, which only applies to German professional football, basically states that the decision-making majority must always remain with the parent club when investing.
Watzke: “I want to make my contribution”
The Bundeskartellamt had classified the 50 1 rule in 2021 as harmless in terms of sports policy, but criticized the three exceptions for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with majority owner Dietmar Hopp and the company-controlled clubs Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg. Since then, the clarification process has been ongoing. He was “quite confident that we will be able to find a common solution,” said Watzke about the cause.
The same applies to the problems at the German Football Association, where the managing director of Borussia Dortmund also holds a leading position as first vice president. “It is important that we join forces in German football against the background of the EM 2024. We need this solidarity now,” appealed Watzke.
He himself advocated a holistic approach. “I don’t go to the DFB Presidium as a DFL representative to pursue DFL interests there, I’m the 1st Vice President of the DFB because I’ve always felt throughout my life that there is only one German football. That is DFB football, DFL football – but all together,” said Watzke, emphasizing: “No one has to reduce me to the professional camp. I want to make my contribution to German football getting out of this difficult situation.”
