Anyone interested in German football is likely familiar with names like Dietmar Hopp, Klaus-Michael Kühne, and probably Martin Kind. These successful entrepreneurs have invested significant amounts of money in football clubs for many years. While some clubs have experienced varying degrees of success, Hopp, Kühne, and Kind have remained loyal. However, over the years, investors like them have also garnered dissatisfaction from fans and even the clubs themselves. Some view these investments as distorting competition, while others feel that the investors sometimes exert too much influence. Regardless, those who follow German football are likely to know these men and usually have a clear opinion about them.

But what about Frank Holzer, Markus Hankammer, or Hasan Ismaik? Ever heard of them? These three exemplify football financiers about whom little or nothing is known to the public. They have also poured significant amounts of money into individual clubs, influencing their sporting fortunes. Tracking their footsteps is much more challenging than in the case of Hopp and company because they typically avoid the public eye and operate in secrecy. Trying to contact Holzer or Hankammer to discuss their involvement with the second-division ascendants SV Elversberg and Wehen Wiesbaden, respectively, proves difficult. The responsible parties for media inquiries can only be reached via email, and requests through this channel often go unanswered for weeks. The same applies when attempting to reach out through the investors' companies – Ursapharm pharmaceuticals in the case of Elversberg sponsor Holzer and Brita from Taunusstein in the case of the Hankammer family.

Some relief comes from the regional press, which frequently reports on the important sponsors of local clubs. For instance, the "Saarbrücker Zeitung" reveals that Frank Holzer is transforming the football stadium in Elversberg's neighboring town into a training center, sparking controversy with local residents. The expansion plans disrupt the construction of a planned new supermarket at the same location. In Wehen, a picturesque district of Taunusstein near Wiesbaden, the youth development center of SV Wehen Wiesbaden stands on a hill like a fortress, nearly the size of the entire village. When larger tournaments take place on weekends, a traffic jam ripples through the village and up the stadium hill. Investors, therefore, also have an impact on urban development and likely the economic development of entire communities.

In the coming weeks, starting with the end of the winter break in the Bundesliga, the Börsen-Zeitung plans to shed light on some of these football financiers. We will cover well-known figures like Dietmar Hopp and lesser-known ones like Frank Holzer. Next week, we will begin with the investor of 1860 Munich, Hasan Ismaik.