For many fans in Germany, RasenBallsport Leipzig is the antithesis of what a football club should be. For those who believe in fans having a voice in how their club is run, even control and/or ownership of it, what this club represents couldn't be further from their ideal.

Having previously taken over SV Austria Salzburg and rebranded it as FC Red Bull Salzburg, the Austrian energy drinks company sought to do similar in Germany. However, as the incorporation of a sponsor/owner's name in the club name is not allowed under German football regulations, overtures made to a number of German clubs failed.

As the relevant German FA regulations did not apply to clubs below the fourth tier, the drinks company set its sights on fifth-tier SSV Markranstädt. Markranstädt is a small town located about 10km to the southwest of Leipzig. The football club's origins go back to 1912 and their primary colour is blue.

In 2009, the drinks company took over their licence for the fifth league and created RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. as the vehicle to utilise that licence in the 2009/10 season. Despite the ban on commercial wording in club names, the invention of the new word 'RasenBall' (literally 'grass ball' or 'pitch ball') served the marketing purpose of having the club soon become known as RB Leipzig. The club's colours then also became those of the drinks brand, and the club crest deviates only slightly from the brand logo.

The company running the men's professional football operations is owned 99% by the drinks company and 1% by the 'club'. While, in accordance with the 50+1 rule, the club does have majority voting rights, club membership numbers are kept low and most members with voting rights are closely associated with the drinks company, which thus has de facto 100% control.

The German football rules on fan participation, ownership and marketing were thus not broken. Many would argue, however, that the spirit of those rules have been flouted.

But money can buy success, and on the field the team won four promotions in 7 seasons to reach the Bundesliga by 2016.

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