“Inevitable”: BVB chief Watzke makes surprise demand | OneFootball

Hans-Joachim Watzke is causing a stir in professional football with his clear demands. The ideas of the BVB boss could fundamentally change the Bundesliga and international tournaments.

Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has once again commented on central issues in professional football - and made surprising demands. In an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau, the 66-year-old clearly advocated a salary cap. "Ultimately, a salary cap will be inevitable. Without a salary cap, everything will get even more out of hand," said Watzke.

The official also warned about the financial developments in international football. "At some point they will notice this in England too. Because to my knowledge, despite the huge budgets, hardly any club makes a profit," he explained, referring to the billions in television money and investor capital in the Premier League.

In addition to the financial aspects, Watzke also dealt with the idea of a Club World Cup in Germany. "Yes, I would like to do that," he said, adding: "I have noticed that everyone outside the core countries in Europe liked the tournament." He emphasized that football "does not belong to us Europeans alone" and was open to international events in Germany.

BVB boss Watzke demands salary cap in professional football

On the subject of financing, Watzke expressed pragmatic views. About the funds from Saudi Arabia that supported the Club World Cup in the USA, which was held for the first time with 32 teams, he said that it was "merely a start-up financing". He indirectly criticized the role of large corporations: "As long as large DAX companies like to include the Saudis in their financing for capital increases, we should not paint the world any rosier than it is. Our industry is only too happy to take the money from the Gulf states."

Watzke also admitted that Germany had "slept a bit" in terms of brand building and foreign business in international comparison. "The German likes to stew in his own juice. We have neglected brand building and have not pushed foreign business enough," he said.

Hans-Joachim Watzke initially ruled out a new attempt for investors at the DFL: "The investor topic is 'done' at the DFL. There will be no such showdowns as long as I have something to say."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.