On October 6, the Presidium of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga (German Football League) issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to the 50+1 rule and outlining plans to propose a comprehensive reform package in the first half of 2027.

Earlier, Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) released its final assessment of the 50+1 rule in August, concluding that the rule generally complies with competition law. However, the office also identified areas requiring adjustment, including exceptions for financial support, club transparency, and league organizational rules. The DFL stated its desire to strengthen legal certainty around the rule while maintaining the core principles of professional football enshrined in the 50+1 rule, and to build broad consensus through internal league consultation.

The statement is as follows:

The Presidium of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga (Bundesliga e.V.) comprehensively reviewed the final assessment report on the 50+1 rule issued by Germany's Federal Cartel Office on August 12, 2026, during a closed meeting last week.

Subsequently, on Monday of this week, the Presidium met in Frankfurt with clubs from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga to discuss the framework proposed by the Federal Cartel Office in its final assessment, aimed at strengthening legal certainty of the 50+1 rule and determining next steps.

The Presidium of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga issued the following statement regarding the future of the 50+1 rule:

1. The DFL Presidium supports the 50+1 rule.

The Presidium believes that the 50+1 rule is a core foundational principle of German professional football and an essential foundation for its deep integration into German society.

The Presidium's position is consistent with a related resolution from March 2018, when clubs voted by majority in the general assembly to initiate a process to "strengthen legal certainty and further consider adjustments to relevant framework conditions while preserving the 50+1 rule."

Based on its clear support for the 50+1 rule, the DFL Presidium will seek confirmation at the league's general assembly in December 2026 to continue adopting the 50+1 rule as a core foundational principle of German professional football.

The Presidium stated that given the strategic and sporting policy importance of the 50+1 rule, it is necessary to establish an adequate legal foundation for this fundamental direction through collective support from the clubs.

2. The Federal Cartel Office's final assessment provides a basis for further strengthening legal certainty of the 50+1 rule.

Germany's Federal Cartel Office has confirmed that the 50+1 rule is generally lawful from a cartel law perspective and has recognized it as an exemption to European competition law and prohibitions on abuse of dominant position.

The Federal Cartel Office believes that although the 50+1 rule may involve certain restrictions on market competition, these can be justified if the objective is to ensure broader social participation in professional football.

To ensure more coherent formulation and implementation of the 50+1 rule, the Federal Cartel Office identified areas requiring adjustment, such as exceptions for youth development and support, club transparency, and league organizational rules, and proposed an alternative framework for these adjustments.

DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga must address these identified adjustment needs through solutions proposed by the Federal Cartel Office.

The final decision on the future of the 50+1 rule and how to implement the Federal Cartel Office's opinions and recommendations will be made by the general assembly consisting of 36 league clubs.

This also includes decisions on appropriate amendments to DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga's statutes.

3. The goal is to achieve consensus within the league to genuinely strengthen legal certainty of the 50+1 rule.

The DFL Presidium will submit a final proposal to the league in the first half of 2027 to ensure that the 50+1 rule is formulated and implemented uniformly across all member clubs.

It is clear that how the league handles the 50+1 rule in the future will continue to influence both German professional leagues and internal league cooperation for years to come.

In the interests of all stakeholders, a widely supported solution is likely to avoid prolonged legal disputes within the league, thereby genuinely and sustainably strengthening legal certainty of the 50+1 rule.

Conversely, hasty or rushed decisions at the league level could undermine rather than strengthen the legal certainty of this rule.

Therefore, deeper discussion in the coming weeks and months is necessary, and all relevant participants must engage with a high level of responsibility.

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