Football: The Cartel Office has no fundamental objections to the 50+1 rule, but does have information on its application

The prerequisite for the 50+1 rule is that it be applied consistently and without distinction, it said in a statement. The Bundesliga must ensure fans’ participation and open access to membership, said Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office.

This can be understood as an indication to RB Leipzig to open the registered club to additional members. “The league and clubs are in constant and good communication, we look forward to the progress calmly and, as usual, constructively,” said the Saxons.

As early as 2023, the umbrella organization of the 36 professional clubs – which was then called the German Football League (DFL) and has been called the “Bundesliga” since this season – and the Cartel Office had fundamentally agreed on changes to the controversial 50+1 rule. However, there is still “a need for improvement in the planned new regulation of the existing support clubs for the existing support clubs,” said Mundt.

There are currently exceptions for VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen. In June 2025, the Cartel Office had already called for improvements: “According to the new case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), however, it no longer appears possible to provide permanent grandfathering for clubs that have already received a funding exception under the conditions previously proposed,” it said at the time.

Leverkusen is closely linked to the chemical company Bayer. The long-term support formed the basis for an exception to the 50+1 rule, which is only permitted if an investor has significantly supported a club for at least 20 years. The rule was applied at Leverkusen in 1999.

Volkswagen received an exception for VfL Wolfsburg in 2001. In 2015, this also happened at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, where patron Dietmar Hopp took over the majority in the Fußball-Spielbetriebs-GmbH – until the club returned to the regular 50+1 structure at the end of 2023.

In addition, it should be ensured “that the ratings of the 50+1 rule are consistently observed in your own votes,” said Cartel Office President Mundt. In the case of Hannover 96, the DFL did not consistently implement the rule when voting on investor participation in its media revenues in December 2023.