TSV 1860 Munich ended its collaboration with Hasan Ismaik following the administrative descent into the Regionalliga. The Jordanian investor reacted, guaranteeing that he will subject the club's decision to a legal analysis. At the same time, the active fans of the “Lions” demand the reimbursement of captives already sold for the season in the 3rd League, which could worsen the financial situation.
The rupture is the latest chapter in a protracted conflict between 1860 and Ismaik — which culminated in the Zwangsabstieg (forced descent) to the fourth division. On Thursday, the parent club (TSV 1860 München e.V.) terminated the cooperation agreement signed in 2011. As a result, the operating company (KGaA), 60% owned by Ismaik, lost its purpose, as it no longer holds the sporting rights (Spielrecht). This becomes the base club, which, from today onwards, must compete as TSV 1860 München e.V. in the Regionalliga.
Ismaik, speaking to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, made it clear that he does not intend to accept the decision without challenge: "If the club understands that terminating the cooperation agreement is the right path for its future, that is its decision. For our part, we will carefully analyze this step from a legal point of view and defend all our contractual rights." In a more moving note, he added: “What really saddens me is not the termination of an agreement itself, but the fact that a fifteen-year journey came to an end without us being able to build the level of trust and cooperation that the club needed to move forward.”
While the dispute continues with no end in sight and with several legal and economic issues to be clarified, the financial challenge could worsen: the active fans announced that they will return the captives acquired for the 3rd League and asked for a refund of the amounts. “We are aware of the scale of this decision”, reads the statement, which emphasizes that we do not want to “harm our own club or the employees of e.V. and KGaA”. Still, they consider the step “inevitable given current developments”. Along with the public note, a model letter was made available to formalize the requests.
It is not yet known how many fans will proceed with the return, but the potential impact is significant: 8,000 captives have already been sold, for a total value of around four million euros.