The 14 clubs of the Frauen Bundesliga, the top flight of women’s soccer in Germany, on Thursday announced that the German Football Association (DFB) would be excluded from a new body to manage the league.
The disgruntled clubs issued a statement saying a planned structure which would manage and promote the German women’s top flight would be founded “without the participation of the DFB.”
Rather than a joint structure between the clubs and the DFB, the new framework would be run solely by the clubs in a manner similar to the German Football League, which manages the men’s Bundesliga.
Photo: dpa via AP
The announcement comes just a day after Germany was confirmed as host of the Women’s Euros in 2029. German tabloid Bild reported that the DFB had changed the pre-agreed structure of the association, moving from shared decisionmaking to a system “which would have meant the league could not make decisions against the DFB’s wishes.”
Bayern Munich said the agreement was “unanimous” between all top-flight clubs, but left open the possibility of the DFB again being involved.
Eintracht Frankfurt said the clubs were disappointed that the DFB had gone back on commitments made during negotiations.
Union Berlin added the “consensus” in the original agreement “had been terminated by the DFB.”
Later on Thursday, the DFB in a statement said it was “surprised” by the clubs’ announcement and reiterated “we are convinced that the establishment of the joint venture is the right path for all parties involved.”
The DFB had previously committed to inject 100 million euros (US$116 million) into the jointly-managed association, which would have been unveiled on Wednesday next week in Frankfurt. Instead, the clubs would hold an event unveiling the new entity at a different Frankfurt location on the same day.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
RSS