For many tourists in Germany, a visit would not be complete without a trip to a football match. It is a unique sporting experience, thanks to the management of the clubs, as well as to the close ties that supporters have with their teams.
The 50 + 1 rule means that clubs are governed by their fans, while ensuring that ticket prices are kept relatively low, so that all matches are affordable, even those against the biggest clubs in Bundesliga, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Supporters speak out and off the pitch, and their exhibitions, protests and dialogues with governments and associations have brought about changes inside and outside stadiums in Germany.
How the 50 + 1 rule affects German football
In 1998, German football introduced the 50 + 1 rule to ensure that clubs remain under the control of their fans, thereby preventing companies or wealthy individuals from taking over teams and treating them as profitable businesses.
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Essentially, this is an abbreviated term for a clause in the regulations of the German Football League (DFL) which states that clubs will not be able to participate in the Bundesliga if commercial investors have a participation of more than 49%. Therefore, this means that club members, fans, will always retain a majority stake.
However, there are some exceptions to the rule, such as teams founded before 1998 which were founded by staff from certain companies, such as Wolfsburg (Volkswagen) and Bayer Leverkusen (Bayer AG), while RB Leipzig bypassed the law by having a very small number of active members, all of whom are employees of Red Bull.
The protection of the 50 + 1 rule is of the utmost importance for German football fans. In fact, Unsere Kurve is a union of supporters groups from clubs all over Germany and one of their main priorities is to keep the clause.
Unsere board member Jost Peter believes supporters' interests must be protected at all costs and that keeping 50 + 1 in German football is the best way to protect their teams against the marketing that has affected other countries.
"Most German clubs are guided and directed by members of the club," said Peter. goal . "Club members make the final decision on club management.
"They do not decide which player will be bought or sold, this is determined by the club administration, but the members decide on the general itinerary of the club."
"50 + 1 is a wall against the interest of capital in our clubs. This means that most decisions are made by the members and that a company cannot take control of a team. and start making your own decisions. "
Affordable tickets, standing and drinking safely in stalls
The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 He asked the British government to introduce the Football Spectators Act, which required that all British football fields be accessible to everyone.
However, the Bundesliga allows a “ secure position '' & # 39; & # 39; on its ground, the southern stand of Borussia Dortmund containing more than 25,000 permanent fans, forming the famous “ yellow wall ''.
This partly explains why ticket prices for top notch football matches are lower in Germany than in England. In fact, prices have been cut during the 2019-20 Bundesliga season.
The cheapest ticket costs only € 15.20 (£ 13.30 / $ 16.50) and the most expensive ticket is € 70.60 (£ 62 / $ 77). In comparison, Premier League tickets range from £ 22 ($ 27) to £ 97 ($ 121) .
Another key difference is that fans can drink alcohol in German court. They can buy their beers and bring them back to their place or to safe areas.
A pint of beer costs around € 4 (£ 3.50 / $ 4.40) at most Bundesliga stadiums. In England, a pint at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates Stadium will cost you £ 5.30 ($ 6.20).
Peter believes that the low ticket price is one of the most attractive aspects of German football and believes that the secure position only increases the spirit of inclusion.
"Our stadium experience is better than in other countries," said Peter. "We have stands where it is safe to stand. This is prohibited in most other countries. This allows for a different type of experience for the fans."
"In Germany, this is a very old school and we can have supporters from the poorest to the richest in the stadium, because everyone can afford to go to Bundesliga matches."
Events and exhibitions highlighting social problems
Due to the influence of fans on the functioning of clubs, teams in Germany often have a wider impact on their local community. Fan groups have worked closely with clubs to create official policies against social issues such as racism, misogyny, homophobia and fascism.
In addition to helping define official club policy, fan groups often display banners during matches to further highlight social injustices. Progress may be slow, but fan displays and club politics have helped to solve problems such as fascist displays in games.
"Most clubs have positions against racism, homophobia and sexism," said Peter. "Sometimes it's hard work that involves small steps to get everyone behind those goals.
"In Germany, we had problems with the fascists in the stands in the 1990s, but the fan scene organized social projects that worked directly with the fans to fight fascist actions in the stands."
Modern football fans
While the 50 + 1 rule keeps most clubs grounded, the impact of television revenue can be seen in the multi-million dollar transfer fees and salaries paid to top players. pyramid.
The influence of television companies has seen some Bundesliga matches behind closed doors at the start of the coronavirus crisis, and many people were shocked by the news this week that the two main divisions would return next week without subscribers.
"Football is nothing without the supporters in the stadium," insisted Peter. "Everything that is important in football takes place in the stadium. We saw a few weeks ago (after the first matches behind closed doors) that football in empty stadiums is really boring."
Fans have already made their voices heard by finishing Monday night's Bundesliga matches. Advertisers used the space to show more games over the course of a single weekend, but fans strongly opposed and held public demonstrations against the games on Monday evening.
"We all remember the days when football was on a Saturday afternoon and that was it," said Peter.
"Everything happened at the same time, but due to the money from the television, the games were divided into eight different time slots."
"The Monday games are particularly troublesome, because if you want to go to a game away from home, it's almost impossible to get there."
"If you want to travel from Hamburg to Munich, for example (800 km / 500 miles), then you should take at least one day off. Monday games are difficult for an active fan who wants to follow all games outside of House". from your club.
"There have been discussions for five or six years, locally within clubs and with football associations and the DFB, as well as many public supporters' demonstrations.
"For example, when the television station that broadcast the match was criticized during the match on television on large banners. We also saw supporters who did not enter the stadium for the first 15 minutes to show a empty stadium on television across the country. "
"The meetings and protests were able to make the fans on Monday, so they could stay at home and not have to take time off to go to the games."
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