European Super League: What is the German football ownership model?

After all of the North West football clubs pulled out of the  European Super League  attention has increasingly turned to the so called 'German model' where supporters get a much bigger say in how their clubs are run. 

The government has ordered a fan-led review into how elite football needs to change in Britain after a newly-proposed ESL threatened to change the game forever with a breakaway competition.

All six English clubs have ceased their involvement in the league, but the government is keen to reform the system so something similar doesn't happen again.

But what is the German model exactly?

Matt Ford a Manchester journalist covering covering football in Germany, and football finance expert Kieran Maguire from the University of Liverpool have the answers.

Matt started by explaining exactly how the German 50+1 model works. 

The sports secretary Oliver Dowden gave the model his backing telling ITV News the government's fan-led review will "make sure we put better processes in place in future, particularly looking at the money, the governance, and looking at the fan experience".

• Manchester United owner Joel Glazer apologises for 'failure to show respect' for traditions

• Liverpool FC’s owner John W Henry apologises to fans - 'I alone am responsible'

Asked what needs to change, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary said during conversations between himself, the prime minister and football fans yesterday, he was "struck" by the system in Germany in which fans own 51% of clubs.

"They talked about the German model - German clubs didn't take part in this, that's because fans had the greater stake in it."

It is unclear how that model could be brought to Britain's football leagues, given it would cost hundreds of millions of pounds for fans to become majority stake holders in their clubs.