“One of the best around”: Kasper fills a key gap at Bayern | OneFootball

FC Bayern has filled a central gap in its leadership team: Rouven Kasper will take over the position of Board Member for Marketing and Sales starting January 2026. The 43-year-old returns to his former employer after four years with VfB Stuttgart.

As early as August, Kasper was considered Bayern's preferred candidate after the departure of CFO Michael Diederich was decided for September 30. After final discussions between the supervisory boards of VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern, the transfer is now official as of this week.

For the record champion, Kasper's return is an important step. Since the departure of Jörg Wacker (2021) and Andreas Jung (2024), the board lacked a proven expert in marketing and internationalization. With Kasper, a man returns who already knows the club well: Between 2016 and 2021, he served as "President Asia" for FC Bayern and, among other things, established the office in Shanghai.

Restart after internal imbalance

Photo: IMAGO

With Kasper's appointment, Bayern also ends an internal imbalance. Since the dismissal of Oliver Kahn in 2023, the board consisted of two bankers—CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and Michael Diederich—whose competencies overlapped significantly. According to insiders, both worked more against each other than together.

With Diederich's move to Deutsche Bank, Dreesen will once again take over finances, a field he had already been responsible for over a decade. Meanwhile, Kasper brings expertise in areas that were recently inadequately staffed: marketing, sponsorship, and international expansion.

At VfB Stuttgart, Kasper left a significant mark. Starting in 2022, he advanced the economic consolidation of the Swabians, introduced the "global brand alliance" with Porsche and Mercedes-Benz as shareholders, and was responsible for record figures: nearly 300 million euros in revenue and a profit of 15.4 million euros in 2024. Sponsorship and merchandising revenues also grew significantly.

A former companion from his Bayern days praises him effusively: "He is the best in this position in Germany, if not in Europe." Others call him a "good catch," especially because he already knows the football business and club structures well.

Support from Hoeneß and Rummenigge

Kasper's return to Munich is said to have been significantly supported by Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Both supervisory board members regretted having to let him go in 2021. At that time, however, there was no suitable position for the sports economist, and the relationship with Kahn was considered tense.

With the leadership change at FC Bayern, these obstacles have been removed. Kasper now complements the board team, which is once again balanced—with Dreesen for finances and CEO tasks, Max Eberl for sports, and Kasper for marketing and internationalization.

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