Watzke counters child attack – “Sounds bitter”

The long-time boss of Borussia Dortmund is sharply attacked by the businessman – and responds with an equally sharp reply. It is a sensitive issue in football.

DFL executive committee spokesman Hans-Joachim Watzke has responded to criticism from long-time Hannover 96 boss Martin Kind. In a previous debate with DFB managing director Andreas Rettig, Kind had once again targeted the 50+1 rule and the structures in German professional football – and also attacked Watzke. “The DFL is a cartel, that is my deepest conviction,” said Kind at the “Big Bang AI Festival” in Berlin. “We do not have a competitive market. It is distorted beyond belief. Under these conditions, we have no chance of ever getting close to FC Bayern.”

The 80-year-old entrepreneur has been calling for German professional clubs to be opened up to more capital for years and was also in favour of an investor joining the German Football League, which failed at the beginning of the year after massive fan protests. “The people in charge in the future will have to explain to me how they intend to push through any decision,” said Kind. He added: Watzke has “caused enormous damage to German football” by stopping the investor deal.

The long-time boss of Borussia Dortmund now countered in the “Bild”: “The child has just been kicked out by his own club. In that respect, what he says is completely irrelevant to me. It only sounds bitter.” said the 65-year-old.

DFB official and long-time club manager Rettig defended the limitation of investor influence: “If 50+1 is overturned, we will end up with a Forbes table and not a sports table,” he said.