German soccer league abandons investment deal after fan protests disrupt games

Wed, Feb 21, 2024
Soccer News (AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - The German soccer league said Wednesday it is abandoning plans to sell a stake in its media rights income to an outside investor after months of increasingly disruptive protests by fans.

The league, known as the DFL, said its board decided Wednesday not to proceed with the deal. Private equity investor CVC Capital Partners was the only remaining prospective buyer for a 20-year slice of broadcast and sponsorship revenue in return for an up-front payment.

Protests by fans throwing objects onto fields have caused lengthy stoppages at games for weeks since the clubs in the top two men's divisions voted in December to proceed with talks on the investment plan.

Some protests have involved fans using remote-controlled cars and airplanes to stop games and in one case attaching bicycle locks to the goalpost.

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