Frankfurt / Main – With clear words and a great lack of understanding, the German Football Association has reacted to an increase in the contribution of the administrative professional association (VBG).
In an interview on the homepage of the umbrella association, treasurer Stephan Osnabrugge warned of impending massive effects in the current phase of the corona crisis, especially for clubs from the 3rd league as well as the regional leagues and the women’s Bundesliga. On Saturday, the VBG pointed out possible relief from deferrals and installments as well as the early notification of the increase.
If VBG makes its announcement true, contributions will be sent in the coming days, which will be payable by May 15. The total contribution burden for, for example, the clubs in the third division was expected to be around 11.75 million euros. Now, this will be around 13 million euros, said the DFB official. Several club representatives from the regional leagues would have told him: “Then the lights go out for us! ” And I can imagine that it would have a similar impact on one or the other of the third division clubs, ”said Osnabrugge.
The VBG, as one of the large professional associations and providers of statutory accident insurance, had decided the previous day that the contribution base for the contribution for those who were compulsorily and voluntarily insured would increase for the first time in ten years and was EUR 4.60 for 2019. Accident insurance is also a compulsory statutory insurance for professional football clubs.
According to the DFB, the VBG had previously contacted the German Football League, the Handball Bundesliga, the Basketball Bundesliga and the German Ice Hockey League with the request to generally postpone the 2019 contributions or to hold talks on a contribution waiver.
It is bad that people are now planning to send the contribution notices as if nothing had happened in Germany. I am speechless that it will also be announced that the contributions will increase dramatically. The DFB treasurer announced that the association wanted to contact the VBG again.
This said that everything possible would be done within the legal possibilities to keep the burdens for the member companies, including the sports companies and associations, as low as possible. In addition, the contribution base was stable for over ten years. Already in the last year for the 2018 surcharge, the member companies of the VBG were informed early about the increase in the contribution base in 2019. The current impact of the corona pandemic was so unpredictable for anyone, it said.
