Oliver Kahn on the Bundesliga: “Internationally, it still doesn’t play a particularly significant role.” | OneFootball

“While the Bundesliga is keeping pace internationally, we’ve lost ground to the two leading nations in terms of title frequency and consistency. Above all, the competition for the Bundesliga title should be a concern. We’re talking about a league in which the same champion, FC Bayern Munich, has been crowned champion twelve times in 13 years. That can’t be healthy in the long run. During my playing days, the league was more open; there was more competition for the title and more German champions. That’s why the league hasn’t been the supposedly most honest competition for some time now, because it consists of 34 matchdays. What’s honest about a 30 or 40 million euro squad budget competing against a 300 million euro squad budget? FC Bayern’s five substitutes are probably worth more than the entire squad of a club in the bottom third. This gap is getting wider and wider due to additional competitions like the artificially inflated Club World Cup, in which the participating top clubs generate additional revenue. The system is becoming increasingly entrenched, with the result that the championship battle is becoming predictable and therefore boring.”

“This regulation will remain a major issue following the recent assessment by the Federal Cartel Office. However, this assessment offers no real legal certainty should the issue eventually end up in court. For the so-called exceptional clubs like Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, and to some extent Leipzig, entering into a compromise carries significant risks, because any compromise could be deemed unlawful as long as it constitutes a restriction of competition. And a restriction of competition exists when access for investors is limited.”

“We must always look at the Bundesliga from two perspectives. Nationally, it remains a solid institution, with a very high average attendance and considerable appeal in Germany. But that’s not the whole truth.” “Internationally, it still doesn’t play a particularly significant role. When I talk to people anywhere in the world, they don’t see much difference between the Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. The Premier League and La Liga stand out clearly. Everyone knows the stars and teams. That’s why I can fully understand Wirtz’s move to England, the most attractive league.”

“The Bundesliga’s international revenue now accounts for only a fraction of what the Premier League generates for international media rights. The French clubs have been urged by the association to plan for the coming season without TV revenue. This is certainly an extreme example, but it shows that the business model could change in the future. Something must be done. With its recent investment in the streaming provider Dyn , the DFL took an important step toward alternative revenue models.”

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