Bayern wants to abandon fans' ownership of the clubs

At a recently held Supervisory Board meeting, Bayern’s management discussed the future of Max Eberl, but that was not the only topic on the agenda. According to Christian Falk, the well-known Bild journalist and author of the “Bayern Insider” podcast, the executives of the newly crowned German champions once again raised the issue of the famous “50+1” rule and decided that the club will soon launch an official campaign to abolish it. To recap, the rule ensures that registered club members (the fans) retain majority control over clubs; under German regulations, they must own at least 50 percent plus one voting share. That “+1” guarantees majority decision-making power, which discourages investors from putting money into German football.

The rule was introduced to prevent suspicious capital from entering professional sports, to protect clubs from reckless financial experiments, and to preserve tradition and the integrity of competition. As is well known, German football culture is based on clubs belonging to their members and supporters, not billionaires and corporations as in England, Italy, or France. However, despite all the positives the rule has brought to German football, in modern times it has also become a handicap. Virtually all German clubs, except Bayern, have fallen behind Europe’s elite and are no longer truly competitive in the Champions League and Europa League. That was evident in the recent final between Aston Villa and Freiburg (3-0). Additionally, Bayern have barely had any real competition in the Bundesliga for nearly 15 years now — winning 13 titles in 14 seasons — and that is beginning to hurt even the strongest German club. People at Sabener Strasse are fully aware of this, which is why they are pushing for what they call greater “financial democracy.”

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Interestingly, Bayern themselves do not plan to abandon their current ownership structure. Everyone at the club shares the same opinion — the 50+1 rule is outdated and Bayern want their rivals to follow them in trying to change the regulations. In Munich they want other clubs to become financially stronger, generate more revenue, and become more competitive in the title race. But Bayern have no intention of following that path themselves. The club believes the members should remain the majority owners, reports Falk.

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Bayern president Herbert Hainer also spoke about the issue in an interview a few days ago:

“The 50+1 rule should be abolished. Every club should have the ability to operate independently and decide what it wants. We need a stronger Bundesliga so that we can improve and motivate ourselves. I hope our colleagues from Dortmund, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Leverkusen and others will support us. We do not need investors, but others do” he said. Bayern Munich is currently majority-owned by its registered members, who hold 75 percent of the club. Adidas, insurance company Allianz, and Audi each own 8.3 percent.