Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig face ownership shake-up after 50+1 ruling
Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg face ownership overhauls after Germany’s competition watchdog ruled they are non-compliant with the country’s 50+1 rule. The rule mandates that all football clubs must be majority controlled by members but Leverkusen, Leipzig and Wolfsburg have historically benefited from loopholes. In its final decision on a long-running challenge [...]
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, and Wolfsburg are set to undergo ownership changes following a German competition watchdog's ruling that they are not in compliance with the country's 50+1 rule. This regulation requires clubs to be majority owned by supporters. The German Federal Cartel Office endorsed the 50+1 principle but demanded equal application across all clubs.
Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, along with only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have been exempt from the rule since 1998 due to their origins as works teams established by pharmaceutical company Bayer and car manufacturer Volkswagen, respectively. Leipzig, owned by Red Bull, has circumvented the rule by limiting membership to a select few, primarily associated with the energy drink company.
Hannover, a second-tier club, appears to comply with the letter of the law but not its spirit. The 50+1 rule has thwarted attempts by foreign investors, primarily from the United States, to acquire German clubs. While the regulation is deemed anti-competitive, the federal cartel office deemed the 50+1 rule's objective of preserving clubs under supporter ownership as a permissible exception to antitrust laws, as supported by European Court of Justice precedent.
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