A lawyer has demanded the liquidation of FC Bayern Munich eV, the registered club that owns 75.01 percent of Bayern Munich AG, the company in charge of the football club's operation, from the register of associations.
Lars Leuschner, a professor for civil law, business law and company law at the university of Osnabruck, has urged Munich's district court to enforce the liquidation.
Leuschner, who is a Bayern supporter, cited a "legal form breach" that could affect other Bundesliga clubs as well.
He told Die Zeit on Thursday he was seeking for clarity for registered clubs, citing examples of other Bundesliga clubs like Mainz or Schalke and adding: "The current structures of those clubs are against the law -- no doubt about it."
Bayern said they believe the liquidation demand is "without merit" and have said they will make an in-depth statement later this month as requested by Munich's district court.
The Bundesliga champions and others have outsourced their footballing departments from the registered club and operate them as a joint stock company.
In accordance with the German Football League's 50+1 restrictions, a registered club and its members must hold a majority stake in the stock joint company.
According to the German Civil Code, however, an eingetragener Verein [eV], or registered club, is not allowed to pursue self-economic purposes and can only generate revenue in a subordinate sense.
The eV has to be included into the register of associations and then turns into a legal entity. A minimum of seven members are needed to found a registered club.
As a legal entity, the eV can hold a stake in an Aktiengesellschaft [AG], a company that is owned by its shareholders and may or may not be traded on the open stock market.
In 2015, Bayern Munich AG announced revenues of more than €500m. The registered club still has a major influence on the joint stock company.
The president of the registered club, Karl Hopfner, is also the chairman of the board of Bayern Munich AG.