Upamecano saga sparks fundamental debate: Sammer attacks player advisor | OneFootball

Matthias Sammer has once again spoken plainly – and this time his criticism goes right to the heart of modern professional soccer. The former Bayern sports director and current TV pundit questions the entire consultancy system and calls for nothing less than its abolition. The months-long contract wrangling over Dayot Upamecano is a particularly explosive example of this

Bayern battled for months to extend Dayot Upamecano’s contract. The French international’s future was in doubt for a long time before Munich significantly increased the pressure on the 27-year-old – with success. On Monday evening, Upamecano finally gave the record champions his final commitment. According to rumours, this only came about after FC Bayern had even withdrawn its offer in the meantime

According to Sky, a veritable power play has developed between the club and the central defender’s advisors in recent months. While Upamecano himself is said to have always signaled internally that he could well imagine staying in Munich, his agents apparently played poker uncompromisingly for the maximum possible financial package. An approach that caused considerable resentment at Säbener Straße

Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß recently vented his anger publicly and sharply criticized the Frenchman’s advisors. For Hoeneß, it is clear that when external interests begin to dominate sporting decisions, the entire structure of a club is thrown out of balance. It is not the first time that Bayern have reached the limits of their patience in contract negotiations – and this is precisely where Matthias Sammer comes in

„This constellation is not good“

photo: IMAGO

The former European champion left no doubt about his position in an interview with Sky. Sammer would prefer to abolish the consultancy system in professional soccer completely. His reasoning is as clear as it is ruthless: player consultants earn too much money, are unnecessary in sporting terms and create a constellation „that is not good between player and club“. For Sammer, the system in its current form is not only outdated, but harmful to soccer as a whole

He is particularly critical of the role of consultants in contract negotiations. In his view, the balance of power is becoming increasingly distorted – to the detriment of the clubs and often the players themselves. Decisions are no longer made where they belong, but are controlled by external players whose primary interest is financial

Sammer becomes particularly clear when looking behind the scenes. „A sports director, a sports director and a consultant sit together. They talk to the most important person – and they may not even be there,“ he says, describing a practice that has long been part of everyday life in professional soccer. For Sammer, this is an absurd scenario that turns the distribution of roles on its head

He finds the financial dimension of this system particularly outrageous. The person sitting at the negotiating table and conducting the talks often ends up earning „three times the annual salary of the person sitting here“, says Sammer, referring to club managers. His conclusion is correspondingly harsh: „That’s sick.“

Sammer’s statements hit a nerve – especially in times when transfer poker, hand money and consultant commissions are increasingly coming into focus. The case of Upamecano is an example of how great the influence of external players has become. Whether anything will actually change in the existing structures remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the debate has been reignited