Bundesliga to put 50+1 to a vote on 3 December

The 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga will meet at a members' assembly on 3 December, where the league's presidium wants a vote on a text that confirms 50+1 as a pillar of German professional football and calls for it to be applied uniformly. According to Sportschau, the clubs already have the draft in hand.

The vote would be an opinion poll, not a change to the statutes. The presidium wants backing from the clubs to negotiate a compromise, and a concrete proposal is due in the first half of 2027.

The backdrop is the Federal Cartel Office's view that 50+1 is compatible with competition and European law as long as it applies equally to everyone. The problem is that Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg have officially approved exceptions, and the authority criticises RB Leipzig for not opening voting rights to new members. Applying the rule uniformly would force changes at those three clubs.

Fans want all exceptions ended, with banners in stadiums from the Bundesliga down to the Regionalliga. The presidium, however, warns that enforcing it quickly and without transition periods could end in a lawsuit that endangers the rule, and fan groups have already announced protests if companies go to court.