Dietmar Hopp, the club’s benefactor, stated on Wednesday that he is relinquishing his vote rights, bringing Hoffenheim back into compliance with German football’s ’50+1′ ownership law. The provision, dubbed 50+1 and established in the German Football Association (DFB) laws, stipulates that all Bundesliga clubs must own the team in whole or in part, hence preventing external or foreign control.
Hoffenheim to be member-run after Hopp returns voting rights
Hoffenheim was one of three clubs, along with Volkswagen-controlled Wolfsburg and Bayer-controlled Leverkusen, to earn an exception to this restriction. Hopp stated in a statement released on the club’s website on Tuesday that he had “operated in the spirit of 50+1” and was always in favour of club sovereignty over owner control.
“It was never about power for me,” said Hopp, who co-founded German software giant SAP. “Our special status was never used to undermine or avoid this regulation.
“The 50+1 regulation, which I have always supported, is a high asset in German football.”
The entrepreneur, who grew up in the area and played for Hoffenheim as a youth, has been a longtime benefactor of the team. The 50+1 regulation, which is unique among the main European leagues, is immensely popular with German football fans, yet it has recently been criticised. The German Federal Cartel Office earlier expressed support for the regulation but has criticised the exception.
The DFB had stated that it hoped to resolve the issue by the end of March. Uli Hoeness, the former CEO of Bayern Munich and current board member, urged the DFB to eliminate the regulation against further outside investment so that German teams could compete with other European powerhouses.
