ELF REFUSES TO LIE DOWN, PLANS FOR 2026

The European League of Football (ELF) says business operations will continue as normal despite having filed for preliminary self-administration proceedings with the Hamburg District Court.

Following a move it described as part of a broader financial restructuring, the ELF confirmed that its upcoming 2026 season will proceed as planned, and that the match schedule is expected to be announced by the end of February — despite having no obvious teams beyond those the league ownership has a hand in.

Furthermore, the organisation — which appeared to be on life-support following two splits with members of the European Football Alliance — claims that employees’ wages and salaries will be secured during the preliminary proceedings, while league management will remain in office, supported by external restructuring experts.

The filing is intended to allow the ELF to realign itself economically while maintaining day-to-day operations. According to the league, a comprehensive restructuring plan has already been developed and is now being implemented as part of the process, with the goal of securing long-term competitiveness.

“The proceedings are an important step in the right direction: they enable us to strengthen ELF in the long term and give us time to hold the necessary discussions with both our partners and the teams,” CEO Zeljko Karajica said, describing the move as a necessary step forward. “Fans can look forward to an exciting season, [and] I would like to thank our employees in advance for their trust.”

The ELF has said the restructuring became necessary after planned capital measures could not be implemented as intended, leaving a shortfall in the financial basis required for upcoming steps. Talks with potential investors are already underway and are expected to intensify during the proceedings.

Under the self-administration framework, business and match operations can continue uninterrupted. Employee wages and salaries are initially secured through insolvency compensation during the preliminary phase and will later be resumed by the company itself.

The process is being supported by a team of restructuring specialists. Thorsten Petersen, partner and managing director at WallnerWeiß, has been appointed general representative and said the structure allows the league to act decisively.

“Self-administration gives companies the opportunity to drive necessary changes forward in a legally-protected framework in a self-determined manner,” Petersen said. “Together with the management, we will now implement the measures that have been developed in a targeted manner in order to strengthen ELF’s economic basis in the long term.”

The court has also appointed Andreas Romey, partner and solicitor at ECKERT, as provisional administrator.

“In my role as provisional administrator, I will work closely with the restructuring team and ensure that the interests of all parties involved, especially the creditors, are protected,” Romey said. “The aim is to provide constructive support for the planned restructuring and to work together to secure ELF’s future viability.”

The league confirmed that employees have already been informed of the proceedings.