RSetback for the German Football League (DFL): Blackstone is surprisingly no longer available for a strategic marketing partnership. The DFL announced this on Tuesday evening at the request of the Sports Information Service (SID). After the financial company's withdrawal, the private equity company CVC is the only remaining interested party.
“We confirm that, after good discussions, Blackstone is no longer an option as a strategic marketing partner for the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga for various reasons. The DFL and the clubs were always aware that the key points and red lines adopted in December placed high demands on potential partners,” said the DFL statement. The DFL did not want to go into details. However, the further process will “continue with CVC according to the planned schedule”.
The financial news agency Bloomberg had already reported on the exit and cited the massive fan protests and the hesitant behavior of the Bundesliga clubs as reasons.
The DFL reduced the number to two candidates in January. The financial investor is to acquire shares in a DFL subsidiary, to which all media rights are outsourced, for 20 years. The plan is for a partner to have a minority stake of a maximum of eight percent. Blackstone had offered around one billion euros for the rights share.
Last December, 24 of the 36 professional clubs voted yes in the vote on the entry of an investor. The necessary two-thirds majority was therefore just achieved. Martin Kind played a central role. The managing director of Hannover 96's professional department is said to have voted for it, contrary to his club's instructions. Without Kind's vote, the deal would have failed. DFL executive committee member Axel Hellmann rejected the demands of the active fan scene for a new vote on the investor question after numerous protests.
The active fan scenes have been protesting against the DFL's plans for months. On Saturday, the match between Union Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg (1-0) was about to be canceled. However, CVC is unlikely to be deterred by this. The private equity company has been active in sports for a long time and is aware that things can also be very emotional. CVC did not officially comment on SID's request on Tuesday.
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