Interview with Carsten Cramer: “The World Cup is not a marketing event" | OneFootball

How much excitement is there about the tournament?“There is great excitement. My credo is that being involved in such tournaments is significantly more fun than sitting on the sofa and watching others play football.”

And how much pride is there that Borussia Dortmund are one of the 12 European clubs involved?“As one of the two German representatives and one of the 12 European clubs within the illustrious group of 32 taking part in this first edition, we see it as a real opportunity and as a challenge – and we're therefore really looking forward to it. It makes us proud because it highlights what we have achieved in the course of recent years, that we occupy sixth place in the UEFA rankings and are competing with the major players. It's a nice confirmation for everyone that we haven't done as badly in the past few years as the mood around us might sometimes suggest.”

The Bundesliga will not only be represented by two clubs – Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – at the Club World Cup; it will also be represented in one of the most important international target markets. What effects do you expect or hope to see for German football?“It is not only good for the Bundesliga, but it is also completely justified that German football has two participants. The fact that these are also the two teams that have done everything they can internationally over the years to ensure that German football is represented in the best-possible light serves as a kind of confirmation of this. And of course, it is important – both for internationalisation and for our own interests in the target market of the USA – that the German ‘Klassiker’ is perceived as such at the Club World Cup.”

Let's stay with overseas marketing for now: a field in which there is a lot of catching up to do...“... but in which there is also growth. We can therefore make the best-possible advertisement for German football – especially in the USA, where the TV contract expires in 2026. The Bundesliga still has an incredible number of things to play for going into the last matchday, the stadiums continue to be sold out, and two major players are returning in Köln and Hamburg. For the USA, we are also the market where talented American players get their first taste of professional football in Europe. We therefore have some very good arguments that we can use to get Americans excited about Bundesliga football.”

According to media reports, Borussia Dortmund will receive an entry fee of €23.4 million, which is in the middle of the range in terms of what will be distributed to the 12 European participants. It is €10 million more than Juventus are expected to receive. Does this figure emphasise BVB's sporting performance in recent years and the strength of its international reputation, especially in comparison to Juve?“Our performance over the previous four years serves as the basis for this; we are in sixth place in the rankings and so of course get more than the European club in 11th or 12th place – but also less than the ones in first or second place. Whatever we get in the end, we will have earned. We are held in very, very high regard in international football, in some cases better than we are regarded in our home territory.”

Borussia Dortmund will face Fluminense (Brazil), Ulsan HD (South Korea) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) in the group stage. What are the sporting objectives?“I don't want to get ahead of the players, but everyone who works for this club plays in a tournament like this because we are ambitious. It's not a marketing event, it's not a summer tour; it's an official competition. When the trophy was presented here, we all thought: it would be great if we could keep it in our sights for as long as possible. And that requires that we also qualify for the knockout phase.”

And beyond that? With every additional round reached, the start of the upcoming Bundesliga season creeps several days closer and the period for recovery and preparation is shortened. Is fitting in a pre-season trying to achieve the impossible?“For the first time, we are in a situation whereby the entire squad is not here during the time when pre-season normally begins. Usually when a tournament takes place, up to two-thirds of the players are away. And regardless of how long we stay in the competition, we want and need to give the players a holiday. If you consider the season opening event on 10 August as the end of the pre-season preparations, it's quite possible that we will have started training only 14 days beforehand. This flexibility is challenging, and I take my hat off to Niko (editor's note: Kovac), Lars (Ricken) and Sebastian (Kehl) for the way they are approaching it. Nobody is complaining, everyone is focusing on the positives.”