Hoffenheim no longer exempt from the 50+1 rule | OneFootball

On Wednesday, Hoffenheim announced that their exemption from the 50+1 rule has now ended as they have completed the process to comply with the rule.

The 50+1 rule is a rule that club members hold a 50% plus one vote when it comes to voting on club matters. This means the fans of the club have a majority and can dictate what direction the club goes in.

The change was made to Hoffenheim after the DFL had approved the amendment in the shareholder agreement of the club. This meant majority shareholder and voting rights holder Dietmar Hopp would transfer his voting rights to the club members. The wish to comply with 50+1 was first brought up during Hoffenheim’s annual general meeting in the summer.

Hopp had been the majority shareholder of Hoffenheim for nearly 10 years after gaining the initial exemption in 2015.

With Hoffenheim no longer exempt, this means Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen are the only teams that have an exemption to 50+1. For those wondering, RB Leipzig do comply with 50+1 but that is due to them bending the rules and only having a handful of members, all of whom work for Red Bull in some capacity.

GGFN | Jack Meenan