In German football's lower divisions, winning a league title does not always guarantee what it should: promotion. Djamal Ziane, captain of Lokomotive Leipzig, knows this better than most. His side has won the Regional League Northeast three times in seven seasons, yet has failed to move up to the 3. Liga on each occasion, most recently losing a promotion play-off 3-1 on aggregate to Wurzburger Kickers despite Ziane himself scoring in the tie.
The issue stems from a structural flaw in the German pyramid. Below the Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga sits a fourth tier split into five regional divisions: North, West, Southwest, Northeast and Bavaria. Each produces its own champion, but only four promotion spots to the 3. Liga exist for five title winners. Under the current arrangement, the West and Southwest champions go up automatically, a third spot rotates between the other three divisions on a three-year cycle, and the fourth is decided by a play-off between the two leagues left out that year. Inevitably, one champion is left without promotion each season.
In recent years, that fate has disproportionately befallen clubs from the former East Germany. Along with Lok Leipzig's repeated heartbreak, Dynamo Berlin missed out in 2022 and Energie Cottbus in 2023. Currently, Hansa Rostock is the only eastern German club competing in the 3. Liga.
Supporters and officials argue the system reflects deeper economic imbalances between western and eastern Germany, where wages are lower, unemployment higher, and populations older and shrinking. Automatic promotion slots go to the West and Southwest partly because those regions have more registered clubs — a reflection of population size rather than footballing merit. Lok Leipzig chief executive Toni Wachsmuth noted that eastern clubs often draw larger crowds despite lacking comparable financial backing, pointing out that the Northeast's average attendance last season, 3,125, was roughly double that of other regional divisions.
Frustration has fueled a reform movement spearheaded by Chemnitzer FC chief executive Tommy Haeder under the banner "Meister mussen aufsteigen!" — champions must go up. The proposed "compass model" would reduce the number of regional divisions from five to four, with boundaries redrawn annually using data-driven criteria such as travel distances and local rivalries. The plan has drawn support from more than 80 clubs, including Bundesliga side Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke, as well as Bournemouth manager Marco Rose, a former Lok Leipzig player and coach.
However, a crucial vote in June ended in controversy. Organizers altered the proposal at the last minute, reducing divisional sizes and requiring majority approval in all five regions rather than an overall majority. Although 50.9% of clubs backed the compass model overall — with strong support in the West, North and Northeast — the Southwest rejected it in favor of dissolving the Northeast division entirely, while Bavaria remained undecided.
The backlash has been significant. Matches in the Northeast have seen delayed kickoffs in protest, while Lok Leipzig fans threw plastic trophies onto the pitch to symbolize the meaninglessness of their club's unrewarded titles. Bayern Munich's ultras staged a pointed demonstration against the Bavarian federation, and banners calling for reform have appeared across Bundesliga stadiums nationwide.
For now, the compass model remains stalled, caught between competing regional interests and entrenched structures. As the debate continues, players like Ziane are left hoping that future title wins will finally translate into the promotions they believe their teams have earned.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.