Bundesliga investor deal axed after fan protests

The German Football League (DFL) said Wednesday it is abandoning plans to sell a stake in its media rights income to an outside investor after months of increasingly disruptive protests by fans.

In December, Germany's first and second tier football clubs voted in favour of letting a financial investor take a stake of the DFL media arm in a deal valued at between €900 million ($973.2m) and €1 billion ($1.08bn).

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The DFL, which is responsible for the Bundesliga and second-tier 2.Bundesliga, said its board decided Wednesday not to proceed with the deal.

"A successful continuation of the process looks impossible given the current developments," DFL board spokesman Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.

"Even if the large majority is in favour of a strategic partnership. That is why the board unanimously decided... not to continue the process and not to conclude it."

Private equity investor CVC Capital Partners was the only remaining prospective buyer for a 20-year slice of broadcast and sponsorship revenue in return for an up-front payment.

Protests by fans throwing objects onto the pitch have caused lengthy stoppages at games for weeks since the clubs in the top two men's divisions voted in December.

Some protests have involved fans using remote-controlled cars and airplanes to stop games, and in one case attaching bicycle locks to the goalpost.

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.