Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has bemoaned the amount of money flooding into Premier League coffers and said that Bayern can’t compete.
The Bayern chief executive says domestic television deals have created a major distortion in wealth between many teams in mainland Europe and those in England. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich face a struggle to compete with Premier League giants because of the financial muscle of top English clubs, admits Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
He spoke from experience when he pointed to how Premier League clubs have been able to attract the best players, the best coaches and create the most profitable academies. And Rummenigge also stated how even 13-time European champions Real Madrid, whose president Florentino Pérez he knows well, find it worrying to look at the money flooding into English teams.
“I think Florentino Pérez’s problem is the Premier League,”
“With Real Madrid he belongs to the world’s most prominent club, because it’s the most successful one and you have to admit it is also incredibly strong in terms of star power.
“However, his problem is the Premier League because it receives three times more money from domestic TV stations than all of us. No matter if it’s Spain, Germany, France etc.
“That’s why they have an undeniable advantage in the transfer market.”
“We all try to keep up with the English clubs, which is not easy”
Rummenigge is full of admiration for how English teams have spent their money, by strengthening not only their squads but infrastructure too.
“The English clubs did well, one has to admit. In step one, they bought good players; in step two, they went out for good coaches, for instance Jürgen Klopp who has tremendous success at Liverpool; and in step three they gathered quality in management.
“They used their bigger income in comparison to other leagues to develop their quality. Their youth work has become a benchmark.
“And no matter in which country, or which city we play in, we all try to keep up with the English clubs, which is not easy.”
Bayern Munich sits second in the Bundesliga after 19 games of this season, a point behind leaders RB Leipzig, and are chasing an eighth consecutive title. They last won the Champions League in the 2012-13 season, with Real Madrid triumphing four times since then, Barcelona winning in 2015 and Liverpool scooping last term’s trophy.
