“And I stick to that”
Martin Kind makes Hannover 96 perform badly
December 14, 2023, 6:07 p.m
Did Martin Kind use his vote to ensure that the German Football League opened up to an investor? Hannover 96 urgently wants to know the answer to this question – but the head of professional football in Lower Saxony remains silent on the matter.
Professional football boss Martin Kind did not disclose his much-discussed voting behavior in the German Football League (DFL) investor deal to the parent club Hannover 96. This was confirmed by the managing director and majority shareholder of the spun-off professional company “Neue Presse” in Hanover.
The leadership of Hannover 96 eV, which is dominated by Kind opponents, received the required statement from him on Wednesday, said Kind. The 79-year-old entrepreneur kept to himself whether he voted yes or no. “I answered that it was a secret ballot – and I stick to that,” he said. Those were “the rules of the game” of the DFL general meeting.
At its meeting on Monday, the umbrella organization of the 36 German professional clubs approved the entry of a strategic partner with exactly the required two-thirds majority. There were 24 yes votes, ten no votes and two abstentions among the clubs. And the fact that the last twelve clubs have publicly acknowledged their voting behavior at least suggests that Kind voted yes for the 96ers. He himself only told the “Bild” newspaper: “Nobody knows whether the clubs that are now declaring that they voted no actually voted that way.”
Does 50+1 still work in Hanover?
Kind’s approval of the investor entry would be piquant for two reasons: On the one hand, the parent club had given the professional managing director instructions to vote no. This is exactly what the eV is entitled to under the so-called 50+1 rule in German professional football. This stipulates that the parent clubs must still retain the right to issue instructions and the majority of votes even if the professional area has been spun off into a corporation.
A yes vote from Kind against the parent club’s instructions would therefore also be a further indication that the 50+1 rule can no longer be enforced at Hannover 96. The eV leadership had already tried to remove Child as professional managing director last year – and failed in two courts.
The management of the DFL only sees Kind’s voting behavior as an internal problem. However, the management of Hannover 96 eV accuses the DFL of not sufficiently ensuring that its own 50+1 rule still applies to the club. “This right to give instructions was not observed by Mr. Kind on several occasions,” said a board member.