Bundesliga boss Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Tuesday the rejection of a planned investor deal, shelved after widespread fan protests, was "bad for the league".
Last week the German Football Leagues (DFL) which runs the Bundesliga abandoned a planned billion-euro investment deal, which had previously been approved by the necessary two-thirds majority of clubs, due largely to fan protests resulting in long delays at matches.
Fans had littered pitches with everything from tennis balls to chocolate coins in opposition to the plan to swap a portion of the league's future media revenues for an upfront cash injection.
GERMAN FANS PROTEST AGAINST PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTMENT
Dortmund fans throw tennis balls & chocolate coins to disrupt match. Exc. reporting by @archiert1 says that fans feel the soul of the sport will be sold if Bundesliga accepts private equity investmentpic.twitter.com/a9AK1vUsxE
DFL chairman Watzke told AFP and other journalists on Tuesday that fans "in Germany have a problem with investors".
"Germans are traditional, perhaps even a bit old-fashioned.
"In Germany, investor is perhaps not the best word."
German football has a notable commitment to fan control and involvement via a "50+1" rule which restricts the degree of influence an external investor can have over a club.
The rule remains enduringly popular among German fans, many of whom value it more than domestic or international competitiveness.
The DFL had promised the new deal would include supporter-friendly protections against changes in kick-off times or moving competitive fixtures abroad.
"Our contract with the investor had clear red lines that nothing could happen which would be a problem for the fans, but the problem was that fans didn't believe us.
"It's
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