Self-critical tones: Dreesen admits wrong decisions at FC Bayern | OneFootball

Jan-Christian Dreesen was unusually self-critical in the OMR podcast. The FC Bayern CEO spoke openly about wrong decisions during his time in office – particularly in the transfer business – and admitted that the club has also missed out on strategic opportunities

The 58-year-old has been part of the management team of the German record champions for many years and is considered one of the most important architects of the club’s economic stability. However, even at FC Bayern, not everything always runs perfectly – Dreesen made this clear in the interview

Particularly in the area of player transfers, Dreesen looks back and sees decisions that have turned out to be wrong. However, he emphasised that transfers at FC Bayern are always decided jointly. „We have done a few things with transfers. That’s always difficult when you then talk about the names,“ Dreesen explained in the podcast. Although the Bayern boss did not want to name any specific players, he made it clear that not every signing had worked out. „Those were real mistakes,“ he admitted openly

At the same time, the CEO made it clear that such decisions are never made by a single person. Transfers are agreed jointly within the club – both in the Executive Board and with the Supervisory Board. That is why responsibility must be shared. „We win together and we lose together,“ Dreesen emphasized

Especially in the modern transfer business, where sums in the hundreds of millions are often involved, a wrong decision can quickly have enormous consequences – both in sporting and economic terms. If a player doesn’t work out, not only does the squad suffer, but also the club’s financial planning

Missed opportunity in international marketing?

photo: IMAGO

In addition to sporting decisions, Dreesen also sees strategic opportunities that FC Bayern has not yet exploited. Looking back, one point in particular concerns him: international media marketing

The club had repeatedly considered marketing its TV rights in individual foreign markets itself instead of relying exclusively on the Bundesliga’s central marketing. „I sometimes wonder whether we were right not to try it out,“ explained Dreesen

FC Bayern had repeatedly tested such models, but ultimately decided against them. From today’s perspective, the CEO sees this as at least a missed opportunity. „We never did this proof of concept – does it work or not,“ said Dreesen

Such a test could have shown whether FC Bayern could position itself even more independently of central marketing in individual markets

Bayern is thinking about new business models in the long term

Despite this missed opportunity, Dreesen emphasized that FC Bayern is continuing to work intensively on its international strategy and that the club is increasingly trying to build a direct relationship with its fans worldwide – for example via its own digital platforms, apps or newsletters

In the long term, this direct access to fans could play an important role in tapping into additional sources of income and ensuring the club’s economic competitiveness against Premier League clubs

Dreesen’s conclusion is therefore positive despite his self-critical tone: mistakes are part and parcel of top-level soccer, and it is crucial to learn from them and continuously develop the club

Or, as the Bayern boss himself puts it: „Mistakes happen – the important thing is to accept them together and draw the right conclusions from them.