FC Augsburg’s managing director Michael Ströll has criticized the recent calls from Bundesliga clubs for a new vote on the entry of a DFL investor.
“Why is this topic coming up now? The vote was a month or two ago. We also noticed straight afterwards that Hannover 96 was a somewhat opaque situation,” said Ströll after Augsburg’s 2-2 draw against RB Leipzig. “I do ask myself: Anyone who is calling for a new vote tomorrow, why didn’t they call for a new vote six weeks ago? You have to compare populism and fact-orientation.”
Ströll further remarked: “If I have the substantive conviction, then I could have had it the same way six weeks ago.” Most recently, VfB Stuttgart and Union Berlin spoke out in favor of a new vote.
How did child vote?
In December of the previous year, the 36 first and second division clubs voted with the required two-thirds majority for a strategic partnership between the German Football League and an external investor. This should pay one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The DFL is currently still negotiating with two interested parties.
However, the close voting result at the DFL general meeting with 24 yes votes caused discussions. Martin Kind’s voting behavior for Hannover 96 raised questions. Majority shareholder Kind had been instructed by the parent club to vote against it. It is unclear whether he did this.
Is the election legitimate?
There have been protests against the DFL plans from the active fan scenes for months, which have recently intensified. According to Ströll, a new vote “has not yet been discussed between the 36 clubs”. “I guess that’s an issue that’s on the agenda of the executive board right now.” FC Augsburg “has not yet been told whether a new vote has a realistic chance or not”.
Ströll believes it is important to have a debate in the event of possible disagreements. “A correct approach could be to put the issue to the vote again in purely theoretical terms if you have the feeling that the action was not taken as it should have been in Hanover,” explained Ströll. “Because then the election is not 100 percent legitimate, but that has to be clarified legally.”
