December 9 – Donata Hopfen, CEO of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, will quit her role at the end of the year, being replaced on an interim basis by two Bundesliga club execs, Axel Hellmann and Oliver Leki.
Hopfen had been in the job for less than a year and had made the sale of a $3.6 billion stake in Bundesliga media rights a key strategy for the league. However, a number of clubs had recently expressed reservations over the proposals. To progress any deal, two-thirds of member clubs need to give their approval.
The stalling of the fund-raising would have left Hopfen in a difficult position. CVC, Bain Capital, KKR, EQT, Advent, Blackstone and Bridgepoint have all reportedly expressed interest in the deal.
The status of that fund raising, and whether it will even go ahead is now unclear. Certainly it is stalled.
Hellman and Leki will run the organisation jointly until 30 June 2023, while at the same time continuing to fulfil their roles at their clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg.
Hellmann is the CEO and member of the Board at Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as a member of the DFL Executive Committee. Leki is a member of the Executive Board of Sport-Club Freiburg and, since 2019, has also been 2ndDeputy Speaker of the Executive Committee of the DFL, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DFL.
“We thank Axel Hellmann and Oliver Leki for assuming this responsibility at a time when important changes are being made in German professional football,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DFL.
“By virtue of their current roles, Mr Hellmann and Mr Leki are very familiar with the structure of the DFL, with key matters and projects, and with the management, the employees and the work of the subsidiaries. I am confident that they will use their experience and expertise to successfully tackle the present challenges, working together with the team of the DFL in the best interests of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.”
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