Legal dispute ended
Fortuna Düsseldorf wins million-dollar battle for corona aid
02/04/2026 – 11:18 a.mReading time: 1 Min.
The second division football team has agreed on a settlement with the country. The controversial reclaim of 1.7 million euros is now finally off the table.
Fortuna Düsseldorf has won the legal dispute with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia over Corona aid. The second division soccer team and the state have agreed on a settlement at a hearing before the Higher Regional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia, the second division soccer team announced on Wednesday.
The association had already prevailed in the first instance before the Düsseldorf Administrative Court in April 2025. The court ruled at the time that the state was not entitled to demand the club repay around 1.7 million euros in Corona bridging aid.
The country had argued that the decline in sales was not only caused by the corona pandemic, but also by the relegation to the 2nd league in 2020. The court upheld the lawsuit due to a finding of unequal treatment and did not allow the appeal.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia then submitted an application for approval of the appeal to the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia. The agreement that has now been reached provides that the reclaim notice will be revoked. The bridging aid granted to Fortuna will be finalized.
Fortuna’s CFO Arnd Hovemann said: “We are very pleased that we have now been able to resolve this matter positively for ourselves. What is crucial for us is that the Corona aid to which Fortuna is entitled does not have to be repaid and this ensures planning security.”
