The Ban on Majority Ownership: German Soccer's 50 + 1 Rule under National and International Law
MPI for Private Law, Forum on International Sports Law, 30.11.2009
On 30 November 2009 a symposium will be held on "The Ban on Majority Ownership: German Soccer's 50 + 1 Rule under National and International Law".Football (soccer), wrote Die Zeit, “moves millions” (Zeit Online, 26.1.2007). Yet it was not the millions of enthusiastic fans that were being alluded to, but the millions of Euros which are taken in and then redistributed in the highest echelons of professional football each year. It has long since been recognised that professional sports have become an important economic branch and that many football clubs are run as businesses. However, the extent to which the laws of the market or, conversely, the rules of sport are to be followed remains unclear in those areas where the perspectives collide. Such questions form the background of the discussion regarding majority ownership of football clubs, a topic which once again has surfaced in Germany. At the centre of the debate is Germany’s so-called “50+1” rule, prohibiting the majority ownership of professional football clubs by investors rather than the clubs themselves.
The symposium will analyse the framework and parameters of the “50+1” rule from a legal perspective. The keynote address will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Dirk Verse. Thereafter, Prof. Dr. Tobias Kollmann will consider the topic from an economic perspective. Before a concluding discussion is undertaken, representative stakeholders from clubs and organisations will be given an opportunity to present their viewpoints, speakers comprising Peter Peters (Vice-President, DFL), Martin Kind (President, Hannover 96) and Hans-Joachim Watzke (Managing Director, Borussia Dortmund)
Date of publication: 15.02.2010
Language
German
Organizer
Forum on International Sports Law