"Lifting the rule would reduce participation"

Dr Sebastian Björn Bauers. Photo: Private The new Bundesliga season kicks off on 18 September. One subject that never fails to spark debate in German professional football is whether the so-called 50+1 rule should be abolished - something favoured by Uli Hoeneß and others. The rule is intended to limit the influence of investors in German professional football and states that the parent club must hold the majority of its own voting rights. Dr Sebastian Björn Bauers from the Faculty of Sport Science at Leipzig University recently received his doctorate on this subject. Dr Bauers, where do we currently stand in the 50+1 rule debate? The Bundeskartellamt - Germany's independent competition authority - is currently still examining whether the 50+1 rule violates German and European competition law. The company DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH) applied to the Bundeskartellamt to have the rule reviewed.