Bayern Munich’s dominant first half left some fans wondering if the gap between the Bavarians and the rest of the league was just too big this season.
Well, Sport Bild (via @iMiaSanMia) asked several key Bundesliga team and DFB officials about the matter and the comments were extremely interesting to say the least:
@SPORTBILD asked some Bundesliga officials about Bayern’s extreme dominance and whether it hurts the league
Klaus Filbry (Werder Bremen CEO): “The solutions are obvious: a salary cap and a fairer distribution of TV revenue would really help. The implementation is the difficult part.”
Axel Hellmann (Frankfurt board member): “Bayern Munich have built their dominance, both on and off the pitch, over decades. It didn’t come about because investors are constantly pumping money into the club behind the scenes. That’s why I’m completely against regulatory measures or interventions like a salary cap, for example. Currently, you could only introduce that domestically anyway. That means Bayern would effectively need two squads – one for domestic and one for international competitions. That’s absurd. However, it’s undeniable that this dominance isn’t good for the Bundesliga and its perception, because it lacks excitement at the top. And it will only increase in the future; there will be even more 6-0 or 8-1 scorelines.”
Hans-Joachim Watzke (Borussia Dortmund president): “This season, their dominance is extreme, that’s true. But let’s look back: in 2023, we had a title race right up to the last matchday, in which we ultimately let the trophy slip away. In 2024, Leverkusen became champions. So it’s not as if it’s always been a one-horse race for Bayern in the recent past. It’s obvious: when a club can pay significantly higher salaries than all the other clubs and then uses that money very effectively, it’s difficult to break that strength. For me, Bayern Munich currently have the best team in Europe, and that’s naturally reflected in the Bundesliga.”
Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen managing director): “We need to improve. If we succeed in doing that, we’ll get closer. That’s our goal.”
Rudi Völler (DFB sporting director): “Two years ago, Bayer Leverkusen dominated everything. Now it’s FC Bayern. You have to take your hat off to them for how they’re doing it. Not just the way they’re playing, but also replacing the players who are out – that’s truly exceptional. But you can’t complain about that. It’s just the way it is this year; the title will certainly be decided relatively early. Bayern will often be champions over the next ten years, but it’s not as if it always has to be this way. Other clubs will certainly get closer again.”
As you can see the view points on the topic were mixed. Most clubs seems to want to hang onto the belief that with good decision-making, good talent identification, and good development, they will be able to catch Bayern Munich.
Others — like Werder Bremen —think drastic changes are needed for the competitive landscape to even out a bit. Is a salary cap even possible in Germany? Probably not — at least not without major changes to the operating model.
After reading these comments, what do you say? Tell us in the comments below!
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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