Speaking to the OMR Podcast (via kicker), Bayern Munich honorary president and board member Uli Hoeneß has given his thoughts on the 50+1 rule.
For those who do not know what the 50+1 rule is, it is a ‘rule’ that members of a club must own 50% plus 1 when it comes to the voting share, simply meaning the fans have the majority and can dictate the direction of the football club.
There are exemptions in both Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, while RB Leipzig bends the rules to the extreme, and so they ‘technically’ comply with the rule.
In the podcast, Hoeneß said:
“Sooner or later, the 50+1 rule has to go in Germany. I can advocate strongly for this without gaining any personal advantage. I simply believe that it would be helpful for many clubs if they could raise international funds. And I hope that Mr. Watzke, who is a staunch opponent, will eventually be persuaded to give it some serious thought.”
The former Bayern president, and the man who played a major role in building the Rekordmeister into the club they are today, believes this could benefit fellow ‘big’ clubs in Germany (in terms of fans and stature in the country).
Adding:
“They always have this conflicting sentiment. On the one hand, they want their team to play in the Champions League, on the other hand, they want to preserve everything that’s 50 years old. If you really want to be more successful internationally, you have to rethink things.”
Bayern Munich’s financial advantage over the rest of the league:
It is worth noting that, during this interview, Hoeneß said such a thing would not happen for Bayern.
The Bundesliga champions have such a financial advantage over the rest of the league, meaning they would not need to do this. They have minority investors in the club from industry leaders in Adidas, Audi and Allianz, whilst they also regularly top the table of Bundesliga TV rights both nationally and internationally.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
