3 March 2021 - 4:58 PM
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Alamy | Chairman of SC Freiburg and President-elect of the German Football Association, DFB, Fritz Keller talks with Chairman of the German Football League Executive Board, DFL, Christian Seifert, during a news conference at the General Assembly of DFL in Berlin, Germany 2019.
Three drivers behind German clubs’ flirt with private equity groups: Execution needed in rare “window of opportunity”; Seifert’s last important move before exit and clubs preparing for 2021 nightmare
- Observers see the potential sale of international rights to private equity funds as a crucial closing act for Christian Seifert. His legacy could be damaged if he doesn’t succeed in opening German football up to foreign investors.
- Earlier on, DFL tried to pitch a partnership to private equity funds but was turned down due to the controversial 50+1 rule. Now an opportunity has suddenly arisen and German clubs might need to act on it.
- Most executives in German football remain sceptical that they will get fans back to stadiums in 2021, so they are preparing for another year with serious pressure on finances.
- Private equity partnership could secure the continued building of a global business case around German football – and at the same time provide liquidity to aid clubs if necessary.
- Processes with a number of bidders are ongoing, and a deal is expected to be closed in May. The most likely scenario is a deal with a single private equity fund.
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