“Absurd”: Bayern boss Dreesen sharply criticizes Bundesliga rivals | OneFootball

Jan-Christian Dreesen is taking on the Bundesliga competition. The CEO of FC Bayern sharply criticizes how the clubs treat one another—and uses unusually harsh words when addressing the vexing issue of international TV revenue.

Dreesen called out several German clubs. His accusation: Only a few clubs participate in preseason training abroad, yet they want a say in how international TV revenue is distributed. For the Bayern boss, that doesn’t add up.

“It can’t be that this year Leipzig went abroad right after the season, and now Dortmund and we are doing the same, and yet at the same time, every three or four years, we have all this fuss and commotion over the distribution of international TV revenue. That’s absurd,” Dreesen explained at the Munich Press Club. In doing so, he’s touching on a dispute that has plagued the league for years.

Dreesen calls for greater involvement abroad

The background: FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund regularly travel to Asia to boost their brands’ visibility. RB Leipzig is also making its presence felt internationally. Many other Bundesliga clubs, however, do not undertake comparable international tours—yet they still cash in during the distribution dispute.

This is precisely where Dreesen is focusing his efforts. When it comes to marketing TV rights abroad, the Bundesliga has been lagging behind the English Premier League and Spain’s LaLiga for years. The Bayern boss therefore wants more support from the other clubs to help the league catch up internationally.

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The distribution of media revenues from international marketing was last revised in January 2025. Since then, Bundesliga clubs that are not represented internationally have received five million euros per season. This money comes from the portion of revenues allocated to participants in European competitions.

In addition, ten million euros are allocated annually to the 2. Bundesliga—so-called UEFA solidarity payments. Dreesen does not fundamentally object to the basic principle of this solidarity, but he does take issue with the imbalance between effort and distribution.