The currently suspended plans of the European Super League caught the football world in a trance, focusing on the financially driven aspects of the sport which planned to eradicate the ideals behind it.
Florentino Perez planned on transforming the sport from a financial point of view, promising revenues generated to be twice as much as they currently are – but his plans were left in the mud when all six of Premier League’s biggest clubs dropped out over the last night.
Now, the question arises about how does one keep the beautiful game as pure and fair as possible in a world that is driven by finance? The answer is simple and is already put to practice by teams in German football – out of which, the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund rejected their invitations to join the Super League.
The ownership rule which keeps football as pure as possible in a financially driven world
A move which could only happen with the help of government legislation at this point in English football, many fans have called for the ’50+1′ rule (which is in effect in the Bundesliga) to be implemented in club ownership following the chaos caused by the proposed Super League by the top-six clubs.
The 50+1 rule states that a club (which is made up of its members i.e the fans) must hold a majority of its own voting rights to compete in its respective league.
The rule is designed to ensure that the club’s members retain overall control, by way of owning 50% of shares, +1 share, protecting clubs from the influence of external investors.
This essentially means that any decisions made about the club’s future must have the votes of their fan shareholders taken into account.
No club is allowed to play in the German top division unless they follow the 50+1 rule. The rule prevents privatization in club ownerships – meaning that the clubs are sponsored and owned by the fans, and for the fans, and not private owners such as the likes of other top clubs around the world.
While some might argue that this rule is what holds German clubs from being competitive against the monopoly of Bayern Munich, it keeps tradition intact in the football pyramid of a country that puts its fans before anything else.
Even though it is not a perfect system as demonstrated by RB Leipzig getting their way around it after the takeover by Red Bull, it still holds the fact true that football is a game created for the people, by the people.
The current state of the sport is in chaos, as privatization seeks to destroy everything that the sport stands for, and the 50+1 ownership rule is the clubs’ best option to give their fans a better voice – and help sustain our beautiful game like it is.
Football fans are vehemently in favour of imposing the ’50+1′ rule
50+1 rule now.
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) April 20, 2021
Time for the FA to do a heat check and impose a 50+1 rule.
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) April 20, 2021
The only way we can still save the game is if had the 50+1 rule as a principle in all of European football.
— Fiago (@fiago7) April 20, 2021
50+1 rule still has to come in btw. They’ll try something like this again and that’s the only way to fully make sure it doesn’t happen
— ً (@utdcynical) April 20, 2021
Now is the time to bring in German style 50+1 fan ownership rules and if anyone tries to tell you a club started from scratch ten years ago by a multinational soft drink corporation is second in the Bundesliga then they’re lying.
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) April 20, 2021
What the football – fans of the world have learned the last 48 hours. You have power at your clubs!
— Jan Aage Fjortoft 🏳️🌈 🇳🇴 (@JanAageFjortoft) April 20, 2021
Time for English clubs to get the 50+1 rule!! Owned by members
50+1.
— Ste Howson (@MrStephenHowson) April 20, 2021
Make it legislation.
Take back our clubs.
GlazersOutNOW!
It feels like we could actually get it done!
Don’t let up!