Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg are also named classic factory clubs criticized by some parts of the traditional following. But a look at the other Bundesliga clubs shows that it is not just these four clubs that are supported by investors or shareholders. The SPORTSBUZZER shows the central donors who are active in Germany’s elite league – among others at Bayern or Borussia Dortmund.
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Red Bull, Dietmar Hopp, Lars Windhorst and Co .: Investors in German professional football
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Dietmar Hopp at TSG Hoffenheim, Red Bull at RB Leipzig and Lars Windhorst at Hertha BSC – three examples for investors in German professional football. The SPORTSBUZZER shows other donors from the Bundesliga to the 3rd division in the gallery.
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The Bavarians outsourced their professional department to an AG in 2001. The main shareholder in it is still the registered clubs of Munich, which holds 75 percent. Since the foundation, three investors have held 8.33 percent each in the AG: Adidas, Allianz and Audi. The sporting goods manufacturer from Herzogenaurach is also the supplier of the FCB, the insurance company titled the Munich stadium and the carmaker exclusively equips the German champions with vehicles.
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A BVB is the only listed club in the league to have a more confusing shareholder structure. Evonik, also the shirt sponsor of the Dortmund team, is currently the club’s largest shareholder with 14.78 percent. As part of the main sponsor deal with 1 & 1, the storm supplier will only be present with its logo from next season onwards at national or international cup games – and will also reduce its stake. Stadium namesake Signal Iduna also holds 5.43 percent of BVB shares, supplier Puma has a 5 percent stake in Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA. Entrepreneur Bernd Geske (9.33 percent) and BVB e.V. (5.53 percent) also have shares. The majority of the shares (59.93 percent) are in free float, so they are freely available for exchange trading.
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Many other clubs are financially supported in part by private sponsors or companies. The most recent example is investor Lars Windhorst at Hertha BSC. At Eintracht Frankfurt, the communities “Friends of the Eagle” and “Friends of Eintracht” as well as the company of Supervisory Board Chairman Wolfgang Steubing have been involved in the AG der Hessen since the spin-off. At FC Augsburg, a group of investors led by President Klaus Hofmann holds a total of 99 percent of the capital.
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1. FC Köln, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen also have outsourced professional departments, so far no club shares have been sold. Four Bundesliga clubs are still taking as a registered association participating in the game: FC Schalke 04, SC Freiburg, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Mainz 05.
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The chronology in the Hopp case: So the hatred against the Hoffenheim patron escalated
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Hoffenheim patron Dietmar Hopp has become a hate figure of active fan scenes over the years. In February 2020 there was an uproar. But what is the cause of the hostility? The SPORTSBUZZER shows the chronology of hatred for Hopp!
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The central principle, which only applies in this form in the Bundesliga, for the participation of investors is the 50 + 1 rule. This states that the majority of the voting shares (at least 50.01 percent) and thus the decision-making authority on paper must always lie with the registered association and its members. The example of BVB shows that 100 percent of the capital shares were sold, but not the majority of the voting shares.
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There are exceptional cases like Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, which count as works clubs, as well as Hoffenheim, where the 20 year rule applies. Because Dietmar Hopp promoted the Kraichgauer to a considerable extent over this period, the DFL granted him an exceptional permit. RB Leipzig is not affected by this because the Klub-GmbH is owned 99 percent by Red Bull, but the parent association of Saxony legally holds 51 percent of the voting shares. However, this construct is also frequently criticized because it is said to work around the 50 + 1 rule.
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