“Not satisfied”: Bayern boss Hainer criticizes Bundesliga rivals | OneFootball

FC Bayern believes the Bundesliga continues to be at a disadvantage in international competition. President Herbert Hainer is therefore calling for significantly greater involvement by German clubs abroad—and criticizing rival clubs for their reluctance to participate in international tours.

FC Bayern is currently on the road in Asia once again as part of the Audi Summer Tour. For President Herbert Hainer, such trips are far more than mere marketing events. In his view, they are a crucial building block for making the Bundesliga more competitive internationally.

On the sidelines of the Asian tour, Hainer explained that the Bundesliga continues to lag significantly behind the top international leagues in terms of TV revenue from abroad.

“In principle, I believe that the Bundesliga still lags significantly behind other leagues—especially the Premier League, but also the Spanish league—in terms of TV revenue from abroad,” Hainer said in response to a question from FCBinside.

Hainer Calls for Greater Commitment from Bundesliga Clubs

According to the Bayern president, this gap can only be closed if German clubs establish a much stronger international presence: “You can only achieve that by expanding your reach and building it up. And in soccer, you primarily do that by being there in person.”

That’s why Hainer is making a clear appeal to the competition: “And that’s why I’d like to see more clubs from Germany take the opportunity to go abroad—to Asia, to America, to Africa, or wherever.”

The 72-year-old is particularly critical of the fact that only a few Bundesliga clubs are currently undertaking such trips. “If I recall correctly, there are just three this summer that are traveling from Germany.”

FC Bayern has been a pioneer in this area for years: “I believe FC Bayern is truly leading the way here. We do this every year in collaboration with Audi, and we can see that it brings tremendous success,” said Hainer.



As an example, the FCB boss cited the expansion of Bayern’s presence in South Korea: “We were here in South Korea two years ago, and that inspired us first to open a new office in Seoul last year and now to come back again. A nation of soccer enthusiasts—people who are incredibly interested in soccer—and that’s how we’ll continue to move forward.”

In closing, Hainer made it clear that while FC Bayern has no influence over other clubs’ travel plans, it will continue to address the issue: “We have no leverage, but by constantly reiterating that we’re not satisfied and that we want to encourage other clubs to go out there as well, I hope things will improve.”

With his criticism, Hainer echoes the sentiments of CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. Dreesen had also recently complainedthat only a few Bundesliga clubs have an international presence, even though the distribution of TV revenue from abroad is regularly discussed.