olafgb
17 Mar 2003, 08:43 AM
Kicker article:
For understanding: DFB is the soccer association, which was responsible for all soccer related matters until the middle or late 90s. Since then DFL was founded by the clubs, which is responsible for pro soccer except referees.
NEED FOR EXPLANATION – WHO FOOLED WHOM?
The Kirch affair about secret contracts now also caught DFB. “Der Spiegel” reports that DFB-Wirtschaftsdienste GmbH received 5.11 million Euro when signing the TV contract for the years 1992 until 1997 to ISPR, which belonged to Kirch (51%) and Springer Concern (49%). When extending the contract in 1997 further 1.53 M Euro were paid.
After Bayern Munich got 21.5 M in 2000 and Schalke controlling instance member Jürgen W. Möllemann 1 M, now DFB is in need for explanations.
Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder preferred to dive away on Sunday. The DFB President is in a difficult situation. If he wasn’t he informed in 1992 in his former function as league President by the former league director Wilfried Straub, who today is in the management of DFL and DFB-Vice-President, then he would have been cheated by his friend. If Mayer-Vorfelder was informed, then he betrayed the league. The league did not get to know about the contract between DFB and ISPR that was signed one year after the original TV contract.
Straub, currently in vacation in Austria, admits to not have informed the clubs. The agreement was legal, DFB used the money to fulfil the own tasks and part of it floated back to the league, says Straub. According to Straub, together with DFB lawyer Goetz Eilers owner of the company, the money was paid for video and tape rights. In “Spiegel” a former Kirch employee claims that it was a hidden payment construction.
In the league the contract caused excitement. Dortmund’s GM Michael Meier demanded a full explanation and an immediate report from Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder as well as Leverkusen’s finance boss Wolfgang Holzhäuser, who was league secretary back then. “If the reproaches are true, then the Bayern contract is appearing in a different light [why? I don’t get this logic. If two people are committing a murder, then it isn’t okay just because it wasn’t only one. Besides that, DFB and Bayern are entirely different topics, this is mixing apples with pears – Bayern violated the league statute in the licensing, DFB can’t do that. Minus multiplied by minus is no plus for the law]. The news is sad and disappointing.” Wolfgang Holzhäuser told kicker to not have known this contract. Bayern Munich’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said “I don’t know the contract and don’t want to do the mistakes of my colleagues Meier and Holzhäuse, who did diagnosis about contents they don’t know. We have no problem with our contract, lots will be detected and explained.”
The questions of the league:
Why was no contract made between DFB and League about video rights?
Was there a participation of the Wirtschaftsdienste GmbH chairmen?
Can Wilfried Straub decide on an eventual punishment on Bayern?
This Monday DFB will check all contracts. The Kirch Affair now threatens to become a real scandal for the German soccer.
For understanding: DFB is the soccer association, which was responsible for all soccer related matters until the middle or late 90s. Since then DFL was founded by the clubs, which is responsible for pro soccer except referees.
NEED FOR EXPLANATION – WHO FOOLED WHOM?
The Kirch affair about secret contracts now also caught DFB. “Der Spiegel” reports that DFB-Wirtschaftsdienste GmbH received 5.11 million Euro when signing the TV contract for the years 1992 until 1997 to ISPR, which belonged to Kirch (51%) and Springer Concern (49%). When extending the contract in 1997 further 1.53 M Euro were paid.
After Bayern Munich got 21.5 M in 2000 and Schalke controlling instance member Jürgen W. Möllemann 1 M, now DFB is in need for explanations.
Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder preferred to dive away on Sunday. The DFB President is in a difficult situation. If he wasn’t he informed in 1992 in his former function as league President by the former league director Wilfried Straub, who today is in the management of DFL and DFB-Vice-President, then he would have been cheated by his friend. If Mayer-Vorfelder was informed, then he betrayed the league. The league did not get to know about the contract between DFB and ISPR that was signed one year after the original TV contract.
Straub, currently in vacation in Austria, admits to not have informed the clubs. The agreement was legal, DFB used the money to fulfil the own tasks and part of it floated back to the league, says Straub. According to Straub, together with DFB lawyer Goetz Eilers owner of the company, the money was paid for video and tape rights. In “Spiegel” a former Kirch employee claims that it was a hidden payment construction.
In the league the contract caused excitement. Dortmund’s GM Michael Meier demanded a full explanation and an immediate report from Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder as well as Leverkusen’s finance boss Wolfgang Holzhäuser, who was league secretary back then. “If the reproaches are true, then the Bayern contract is appearing in a different light [why? I don’t get this logic. If two people are committing a murder, then it isn’t okay just because it wasn’t only one. Besides that, DFB and Bayern are entirely different topics, this is mixing apples with pears – Bayern violated the league statute in the licensing, DFB can’t do that. Minus multiplied by minus is no plus for the law]. The news is sad and disappointing.” Wolfgang Holzhäuser told kicker to not have known this contract. Bayern Munich’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said “I don’t know the contract and don’t want to do the mistakes of my colleagues Meier and Holzhäuse, who did diagnosis about contents they don’t know. We have no problem with our contract, lots will be detected and explained.”
The questions of the league:
Why was no contract made between DFB and League about video rights?
Was there a participation of the Wirtschaftsdienste GmbH chairmen?
Can Wilfried Straub decide on an eventual punishment on Bayern?
This Monday DFB will check all contracts. The Kirch Affair now threatens to become a real scandal for the German soccer.