The German Football League (DFL) has abandoned its controversial plans to sell a minority stake to investors after months of increasingly disruptive protests by fans.
The DFL had been in talks with private equity firms,
including Blackstone and CVC Capital Partners, about raising €1 billion by selling 10 per cent of its broadcasting and commercial rights for 20 years.
German fans have been protesting for months about the potential deal.
The latest protest saw Saturday’s Bundesliga 2 game between Hansa Rostock and Hamburg disrupted by fans sending remote-controlled cars onto the pitch.
The decision to abandon the deal was taken at a DFL meeting in Frankfurt today.
Hans Joachim Watzke, chair of the FDL supervisory board, said: “In view of the current developments, a successful continuation of the process no longer seems possible”.
