Ozzy Neav

Many in Europe consider Bayern Munich’s season to be filled with disappointment. Forced to play in the UEFA cup and a poor domestic performance have caused many inside and out of Deutschland to ponder what ails The Bavarians. With another stroll towards a domestic title, perhaps the worriers should not focus their attention on Bayern Munich, but the rest of the Bundesliga itself.

Pin pointing the reasons for Bayern’s crippling control of German football are not as overly simplistic as you might think. Common misconception has the average football fan believing that the mountain of riches in the club’s boardroom are the obvious and most significant reason for the clubs lengthy success. Some financial due diligence on the state of the Bundesliga reveals that to be the case. Bayern Munich is worth around a billion dollars, out pacing Schalke 04, Germany’s second richest club, by roughly 500 million.

As staggering a number as that might be to some, Spain experiences a similar financial climate, with Real Madrid being the wealthiest and Barcelona a distant runner up. Yet Real Madrid is not considered the master of all things football in La Liga and is never the clear cut favourite to win any domestic title. Bayern on the other hand, is only bet against by the most adventurous or deep pocketed gambler. While Bayern’s strangle hold in Germany may be chalked up to superior management by back and front office personnel, this does not change the fact the one horse race in the Bundesliga has domestic football in Germany weak and decaying.

With the Bundesliga performing at extremely sub par levels when one takes into account the might and excellence of the German national team, the German national association should carefully considers some changes in order to increase the entertainment value of the Bundesliga. Here are some ideas they should be looking into:

1) Create an adversary for Bayern Munich: Where would Barcelona be without Real Madrid? Where would Man United be without Arsenal, or Milan without Inter? A football team, much like a prize fighter, is only as good as its strongest rival. 1860 Munich and Stuttgart can’t cut the mustard as legitimate rivals that will not only bring out the best in Bayern, but also increase interest and competition. There is nothing wrong with the German Federation inviting a wealthy corporation or a money heavy individual to invest in a German club. Not only would such investment make the designated club strong and competitive, but it would also keep Bayern on their toes and raise their performance domestically and abroad.

2) Make the Bundesliga more appealing to international markets: Even though German clubs have similar financial clout when compared to their Italian, Spanish and English counterparts, they rarely pull the trigger on large market transfers that make headline news. Domestically, a team sells itself to local fans, but internationally, it is the players that sell the club. Without international superstars participating in the Bundesliga, German football will remain obscure and uninteresting. It is a sad state of affairs when most football fans can’t name one player in the Bayern midfield, yet all know a certain British player that plies his trade in the lowly L.A. Galaxy. Higher international viewership would translate into greater television revenue for German clubs, allowing the often stingy German based owners to bid actively for players in the European market.

3) Use a league wide salary cap: It is quite surprising that the majority of the Germanic leagues in Europe are currently on the decline. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands have all seen better days. The decline of these leagues has been almost parallel to the privatization of European football. While the insights and theories on these social ideologies are better left to experts, we cannot ignore the possibility that Germans are unable to function proficiently in a free football economy. If such is the case and if some Germans are possibly holding on to their more traditional social values, outside intervention may be prudent. Salary caps would even the playing field somewhat in the Bundesliga and allow smaller clubs to be transformed into big European powerhouses over time. The Bavarian faithful may not approve of such a social initiative, but in a league where disinterest, inequality and too much certainty are the orders of the day, perhaps it is time to make some radical changes.

Something is certainly a miss when the largest football nation in Europe has a domestic league that does not rank in the top ten leagues on a global scale. While some Germans and international fans of the Bundesliga (are there any left?) may disagree, that fact cannot be ignored that many fans would rather watch the Greek Super League or the Turkish Super Lig to satisfy their football appetites.

The Bundesliga, with its talent, financial abundance and long storied football tradition should have more than one club in the top echelons of European football. Though Bayern Munich is a part of German football pride, most Germans could use a break from their tyrannical and dictator-like status. Maybe Bayern could move to the Netherlands; Lord knows PSV could use the competition.