Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre may well have a big new project on his hands. Reporting in Germany over the future of TSV 1860 Munich has really heated up over the past 48 hours, and the departing Liverpool boss has been brought into the equation.
Jordanian investor Hasan Ismaik spoke to this week’s edition of Kicker magazine and explained that if the 50+1 rule is abolished then he’d invest €100m or even €200m in the club.
The 50+1 rule ensures that Bundesliga clubs must have a controlling block owned by members. Volkswagen owned Wolfsburg and Bayer (a chemical and pharmaceutical company) owned Bayer Leverkusen are exceptions because of the long term nature of their investment and association with the football clubs.
Ismaik is quoted by Kicker as saying as soon as the rule was abolished: “I would give the club €100m for new players, perhaps €200m available.
“In my opinion, it must normally be changed in favour of the clubs then there would be more investors in Germany, not only foreign. I believe… that football without 50+1 would be healthier.”
That kind of investment would obviously make 1860 more attractive to Liverpool’s Ayre, and other possible recruits.
At midnight on Monday, German newspaper Bild published an article covering the claims and quoted Ismaik talking about a new managing director: “He will come from one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
“The sporting management is Thomas Eichin and in marketing there’s Raed Gerges. The new managing director will be over both.”
The club’s president Peter Cassalette told Bild: “He is an internationally known and renowned expert from one of the world’s top clubs. It is beyond any doubt that it will make headlines when the name comes out.”
Bild speculated that name would be Ian Ayre, and later Merkur claimed that it would indeed be the Liverpool boss.
TSV 1860 Munich are currently in 2. Bundesliga, and finished 15th last season. Right now they’re in 11th place and already 10 points behind leaders Eintracht Braunschweig.
Two clubs are automatically promoted, and the third promotion place comes via a play-off. 1860 are 6 points behind third place, and haven’t been in the Bundesliga top division since 2004.
There’s a big job on the cards for Liverpool’s Ayre or anyone else, and that’s without considering the 50+1 battle.
The club play at the Allianz Arena, along with Bayern Munich, so enjoy a stadium with a 75k capacity, but their average attendance is less than a third of that.
