Bundesliga Seeks 50+1 Consensus as Berlin's Two Clubs Trade Places and Freiburg Locks Down Ginter
Main stories
Bundesliga e.V.'s presidium is pushing for a consensus solution on the 50+1 ownership rule rather than a unilateral vote, aiming to present unified proposals to the league association in the first half of 2027. The move follows the Bundeskartellamt's mid-August ruling that 50+1 is permissible only if applied consistently, with Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg currently treated as exceptions and RB Leipzig and Hannover 96 as special cases. The league said rushed, ill-prepared decisions "could significantly damage" the rule's legal standing rather than strengthen it, and plans to seek clubs' formal backing for 50+1 as a "core principle" at December's members' meeting, according to kicker.
A historically poor start for 1. FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga is running alongside a record-breaking opening for Hertha BSC in Bundesliga 2, prompting fresh debate over which Berlin club now holds the upper hand. Union are managed by Mauro Lustrinelli, Hertha by Stefan Leitl, and kicker frames the contrasting trajectories as a test both clubs face over the coming months.
Transfer and squad notes
Matthias Ginter has extended his contract at SC Freiburg ahead of schedule, with the length of the new deal not disclosed, per club custom. Board member Jochen Saier called the 32-year-old defender "a pillar of our team," and Ginter — unbeaten in Freiburg's first seven competitive matches this season and already on three Bundesliga assists — said he wants to keep writing the club's "success story" after returning from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022, according to kicker.
Eintracht Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter faces a selection headache as he plans a return to a back-three system, forcing a choice between attackers Younes Ebnoutalib, Can Uzun and Ritsu Doan. Hütter admitted he did not expect Ebnoutalib's rapid rise to a Germany call-up, saying he "wouldn't have expected it" after watching him miss chances in preseason, kicker reported.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick has opened the door to a Czech national team comeback after retiring from international duty on 25 June following the Czech Republic's group-stage World Cup exit. Speaking after being named the Czech Republic's Player of the Season, the 30-year-old — the most prolific Czech scorer in Bundesliga history — said he would reconsider "if I feel I can help the national team," and is currently in red-hot form with four goals from his first four Bundesliga matches, per kicker.
Three Bundesliga-linked players made Tuttosport's Golden Boy 2026 top 25 for Europe's best Under-21 player: Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl, 1. FC Köln's Said El Mala (who just earned his first senior international cap) and VfB Stuttgart's Finn Jeltsch, recently given his first call-up by Germany coach Jürgen Klopp. Borussia Dortmund duo Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou also feature, though Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi is the favourite; the winner will be announced in Turin in early December, kicker reported.
What it means for the league
The 50+1 debate shows the league trying to buy itself time for a durable settlement rather than risk years of litigation with its exception clubs — a sign the ownership question will keep shaping Bundesliga politics well into 2027. In Berlin, Union's slump and Hertha's surge hint at a possible shift in the capital's football pecking order, something that will only become clearer once promotion and relegation picture sharpen later in the season. With the Bundesliga resuming on 9 October with Borussia Dortmund hosting Werder Bremen, the form of players like Schick and emerging talents such as Ebnoutalib and the Golden Boy nominees will quickly be tested again once league action replaces the international break.