"This campaign underlines that solidarity in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga is not a lip service," says DFL Presidium
Thursday 26 March 2020 13:38, UK
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are donating more than £18m to German rivals struggling financially because of coronavirus.
The four wealthiest clubs in Germany are foregoing their combined share of undistributed broadcast revenue - totalling £11.4m - plus £6.9m of their own funds to help other sides in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
Due to the German league's 50+1 rule, which prohibits a majority sharehold to private ownership apart from just a few exceptions, there are concerns over the futures of clubs finding it difficult to cover losses caused by the indefinite postponement of fixtures.
The DFL Presidium is to decide how the £18.3m (€20m) will be distributed and, after a meeting of the German league on Wednesday, Dortmund were among the clubs to release a statement outlining the new "solidarity campaign".
"The aim of the campaign is to provide financial support for hardship cases triggered by the corona crisis," it read. "We have always said that we will show solidarity if clubs are at fault because of this exceptional situation, which they can no longer manage alone."
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said: "The BVB is currently working deeply into society through a variety of actions. And of course we are also willing to help in professional football when it comes down to dealing with the economic consequences of the pandemic to some extent."
Christian Seifert, spokesman for the DFL Presidium, added: "This campaign underlines that solidarity in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga is not a lip service. The DFL Presidium is very grateful to the four Champions League participants in terms of the community of all clubs."
