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The managing directors of the DFL: Marc Lenz (l.) and Steffen Merkel

Photo: Steinbrenner / IMAGO

In view of the fan protests against the planned investor entry into the German Football League, DFL managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel hope that an escalation can be prevented. "It's okay if we are reminded, week after week, peacefully and proportionately how important it is to stay within the red lines in the negotiations," Lenz told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung."

However, “the clubs and we cannot accept game cancellations,” said Lenz. “But we are also relying on the fact that the fans in the corners, who dedicate so much effort to their club, do not want to harm the club,” said Merkel. "And that they recognize that football doesn't just belong to the fans, but also to the players, the coaches and the employees in the clubs."

The DFL wants to collect one billion euros from a financial investor for a percentage share of the TV revenue. Fans in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga have been protesting against this for weeks, mostly throwing tennis balls onto the grass and causing disruptions. So far, the game has only almost been canceled, as was the case on Friday evening in Hanover.

"A difficult situation"

According to Merkel, the DFL has “the greatest interest in ensuring that games are not canceled. Because, first of all, that harms the sport." He does not fear any negative impact on the attractiveness of the league or the negotiations with potential investors. However, Lenz admitted that the ongoing fan protests were "already a difficult situation."

With a view to the new vote on investor involvement called for by some clubs, Merkel does not yet see any major need for action. “You also have to keep proportionality in mind,” he said. So far, only a few clubs have said publicly that they would "perhaps support a new vote for reasons of transparency." "But at the moment there are no more than five or six of the 36 clubs, and to be honest, we haven't seen any signs of any major movement behind the scenes."

Most recently, Karlsruher SC, Hertha BSC, Union Berlin, VfL Osnabrück, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Braunschweig, FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, among others, signaled that they were open to another vote. On Friday, Merkel announced on the TV channel Sky that she would meet with those responsible for the clubs in the coming days to discuss a possible new vote.

mlb/dpa