“The modified and expanded concept of the Champions League is promising”
BERLIN, March 20 (dpa/EP) –
The president of Bayern Munich, Herbert Hainer, does not believe that the introduction of the controversial European Super League will come to fruition, as he expressed in an interview published on Monday by the weekly ‘Kicker’.
“The modified and expanded concept of the Champions League that is coming is, in my opinion, promising. There will not be a Super League as it was anticipated about two years ago,” he declared.
The 68-year-old leader was more concerned about the balance in European football, especially with regard to clubs that make large investments, such as Paris Saint-Germain or those in the English Premier League. He maintained that, under these conditions, it is increasingly difficult for his team.
Hainer trusts the Financial Sustainability Protocol, which will come into force as of 2024 and will replace the so-called Financial ‘Fair Play’. “The success of this new regulation will depend on the firmness with which the sanctions are imposed, whatever the club,” said Hainer, who is convinced that “there will be levels that will reach the exclusion of a competition.” “If the rules are clear, it will be more difficult to attack them later,” he added.
The Bayern president said that during a recent conversation with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin of Slovenia, he had the impression he was serious. “I think that everyone is aware that football cannot continue like this. We need a competition with integrity,” Hainer warned.
In the event that the German Football League (DFL) incorporates an investor -there is talk of income of between 2,500 and 3,000 million euros-, Hainer believes that to a large extent each club should decide what to do with them and that Bayern would not have to make large investments in infrastructure.
“If we want to continue competing at the highest level in Europe, we have to invest in players. Other clubs have to decide for themselves where they have needs,” he stressed. The objective must be “not to let the distance with the Premier League or the Spanish league continue to grow.”
For Hainer, the decline in German league revenue from international marketing is alarming. “The Bundesliga is only attractive if its clubs also perform and convince internationally. You need good players for that. If Bayern didn’t have more money, they couldn’t finance (the signing of) players who meet the most demanding requirements, then we would lose appeal. The fans want to see stars,” said the president of the Munich club.