The press releases sent out discreetly by the Women’s Bundesliga teams early Thursday afternoon contained explosive news: the Frauen-Bundesliga FBL e.V. will be officially founded on December 10 at Frankfurt Arena, but initially without any involvement from the DFB.

This decision comes despite the DFB’s general assembly having approved statutory changes in early November to enable the creation of a joint venture between the 14 clubs and DFB GmbH & Co. KG. The agreement envisioned each side holding a 50% stake. The DFB had planned to invest €100 million in the league over the next eight years, while the clubs were prepared to commit at least €700 million of their own funds.

However, it is now being claimed that the DFB’s negotiators submitted new demands after the content of the contracts had already been fully negotiated.

“Unexpected,” “disappointing,” “regrettable”

“In our discussions with the DFB, the central points for forming a joint FBL GmbH had already been settled. That’s why it was so surprising for us clubs that key agreements were suddenly reconsidered – especially given that the clubs will be investing far more into the Women’s Bundesliga than the DFB,” said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern. “To avoid losing more time, we unanimously decided to complete the founding process for FBL e.V. in December- without the DFB.”

Axel Hellmann, spokesperson for Eintracht Frankfurt’s board, voiced similar criticism: “We, the 14 clubs, are disappointed that arrangements previously agreed with the DFB were not reflected in the contract documents. For that reason, the founding act will now take place without the DFB.” How the process will develop from here—and whether it will eventually still lead to a joint venture with the DFB or the clubs taking an entirely independent path—remains completely unclear. Hellmann added in the Frankfurter Rundschau that the DFB’s actions “naturally raise the question of whether this is the right foundation for a stable, long-term partnership.” He warned that the situation could result in “irreparable damage to trust.”

DFB Responds With Surprise and Wants Talks to Continue

On Thursday evening, the DFB reacted with a press statement expressing “surprise” at the development. The federation emphasized that the creation of a league association by the 14 clubs is a prerequisite for the planned joint venture: “The DFB was never intended to be a member of the league association,” the statement said. The federation insists it still aims “to advance the professionalization of women’s football in Germany together with the clubs.”

Secretary General Blask reiterated: “The DFB stands by its commitments and investment pledges regarding the planned joint venture. We remain convinced that jointly founding an FBL GmbH is the right step for everyone involved. Contracts ready for signing have not yet existed. The clubs’ negotiators submitted extensive additions and amendment requests, to which the DFB responded in the usual manner for negotiations. We will continue talks with the clubs in the coming weeks—constructively and objectively.”

This article was created with the assistance of AI and has been reviewed and edited by our editorial team.