Fans halt media deal investment
Bundesliga fans will this weekend celebrate their victory over the German Football League’s (DFL) now-scrapped investment plans as champions Bayern Munich struggle with their own crisis which risks derailing their entire season.
In December, Germany’s first and second-tier football clubs voted in favour of letting a financial investor take a stake in the DFL media arm in a deal valued at €900m to €1bn. But protests by fans who interrupted Bundesliga matches by throwing tennis balls and candy onto the pitch forced a U-turn on Wednesday by the DFL which cancelled the planned stake sale.
While a lot of attention will be on the stands and how the fans, who saw the planned investment as further commercialisation of the sport, will mark their victory against the DFL’s plans, Bayern are in a more sombre mood.
The Bavarians, second in the Bundesliga, said on Wednesday they would part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, a year earlier than his contract runs. They must still put an end to their losing run, however, if they are to rescue their campaign.
On Saturday Bayern host Champions League hopefuls RB Leipzig, who are in fifth place, hoping to snap a three-game losing run in all competitions. They have lost their previous two league games to drop eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who beat them 3-0 earlier in February, with 12 rounds left in the season.
The 50-year-old Tuchel, who arrived in March 2023 with high expectations, will now last only one full season and Bayern said they would take a new direction after he left.
“Until then, every individual at the club is called upon to achieve the maximum possible in the Champions League and Bundesliga,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.
The Bavarians have their backs to the wall, with hopes of a 12th straight league crown quickly fading. They also lost 1-0 at Lazio last week in their Champions League last-16 firstleg match.
Leipzig, a point behind fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund, are desperate to secure a top-four finish to play Champions League football next season.
“We are not interested in what the media say about Bayern,” said Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. “Even if they are not doing well at the moment, it is still a game against the champions at home. We need to be at our best, then maybe we can take three points again against a world-class team. Qualifying for the Champions League is the most important thing for us.”