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DFB headquarters in Frankfurt
Photo: A3399 Arne Dedert / dpa
Clubs and associations will continue to occupy themselves with the rights and obligations of player advisors in professional football.
The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main has declared parts of the DFB regulations for players' agents to be ineffective.
This decision in a legal dispute that lasted for years between the German Football Association and Roger Wittmann's Rogon player advisory agency was made by the OLG's antitrust panel.
But it is also clear: the consultants are no longer allowed to collect commissions for the placement of underage talent.
200 million euros for the consultants
The decision of the OLG is not yet final.
Because of its fundamental importance, the Senate has approved the appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.
The Bundesliga spent almost 200 million euros on player advisors in 2019/2020.
Plaintiff Wittmann, managing director of the Frankenthal-based company Rogon, advises stars such as Julian Draxler, Roberto Firmino, Marcel Sabitzer and Thilo Kehrer.
His lawyer invokes the principle of free competition and the fact that his industry is purely economic.
The German Football Association (DFVV) supported the lawsuit of their member Wittmann.
Fifa is restructuring the area
The world association Fifa is currently repositioning itself in terms of transfer systems and wants to tighten the rules for player agents that were relaxed five years ago.
Commissions could also be capped.
In the legal dispute with the DFB about the advisory regulations introduced in 2015, the main requirement was to register as a player's adviser with the DFB and thus submit to the association.
"On the other hand, the obligation of the players' agents to submit to all regulations of the Fifa and the DFB and the prohibition of the percentage participation of the player agent in a further transfer in certain contractual constellations cannot be approved from an antitrust point of view," it said in the OLG announcement.
The remuneration for the placement of minors was also a point of contention: the agents claim that such talents should also be protected from clubs and possible gag agreements during negotiations.
However, the OLG ruled in favor of the DFB: "The defendant wanted to protect the minors as a particularly vulnerable group from influencing their playing careers because of financial incentives and not sporting."
aha / dpa