German Football Weighs Fresh €1 Billion Private Equity Deal

  • League may ask buyout firms to bid for stake in media rights
  • Clubs to vote on renewed auction at mid-December meeting

A stake sale would bolster the league’s finances as well as its visibility with investors.

Photographer: Frank Rumpenhorst/picture alliance/Getty Images
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German professional football’s governing body is launching a third attempt to sell a stake in the league’s media rights worth as much as €1 billion ($1.1 billion) to private equity investors, according to people familiar with the matter.

The 36 clubs in the top two divisions will vote in mid-December on whether to hold an auction, DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga GmbH said late Tuesday, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News.