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Germany retains the 50+1 rule

This week eighteen of the 36 clubs from the top two divisions of the Bundesliga voted to retain the so-called 50+1 rule where the controlling stake of any club (50 per cent plus one share, at a minimum) is owned by its members, which means its supporters. 3,000 supporter group across the country signed a petition to retain the system.

Of course. there are still those who are pressing to get rid of it. Martin Kind, the president of Hannover, will continue to fight 50+1, while the Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge thinks the rule is a 'luxury', outdated in the modern world.

The system does not prevent dominant clubs. Bayern have won the last five league titles by at least ten points and are 17 points clear this season with seven matches remaining. Bayern's annual income of €587.8m (about £515m) dwarfs that of Dortmund (€332.6m), which in turn dwarfs that of Schalke (€230.2m), which in turn dwarfs that of Borussia Monchengladbach (€169.3m). However, that largely reflects the effect of revenue from European competitions.

It was feared that the rise of a 'franchise' club in the shape of RB Leipzig might mark the end of 50+1. They were formed in 2009 and evaded the 50+1 rule since their handful of members are largely drawn from executives of Red Bull GmbH, the manufacturers of the energy drink.

Supporters of 50+1 see the vote as a victory for the idea of a club being at the heart of its community rather than a business.

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