Karl-Heinz Rummenigge sees enormous dangers for football in long-lasting ghost games in the corona crisis. “If we don’t have fans in the stadiums again soon, then I’m afraid that football will suffer great damage,” said the CEO of Bayern Munich to “Bild am Sonntag”. On the one hand, the loss of football culture threatens, and the 65-year-old also expressed financial concerns. “In total, we are actually talking about a loss of around 100 million euros. Every club across Europe loses between 50 and 200 million euros in a season that it has to play without spectators. How long a football club can take that you can count yourself on five fingers. “
The sums that Rummenigge mentions are more likely to relate to those (top) clubs that have large, full stadiums and generate large revenues around match days. Like FC Bayern, by far the club with the highest turnover in the Bundesliga and one of the financially strongest clubs in Europe.
Munich: No spectators until October 25th
The fact that the people of Munich are threatened with financial collapse without viewer income is ruled out. They generate the majority of their income through sponsorship and media rights. (Read more about FC Bayern and its finances here.) In the 2018/2019 financial year, the group as a whole generated a record profit of EUR 52.5 million with sales of EUR 750.4 million. Due to the corona crisis, Munich would be missing around 100 million euros in revenue. Nevertheless, they were able to invest a larger part of this sum in new players like Leroy Sané.
The city of Munich recently announced that due to the increased corona numbers, football games in the Bavarian capital will take place without fans until at least October 25th. Nationwide, a maximum utilization of 20 percent of the respective stadium capacity is permitted in the test phase until the end of October.
Rummenigge said there was “a top concept” for the return of fans, which was also coordinated with the city of Munich. “But we are absolutely dependent on political decisions, like the whole country. And if the political decisions are made like that, then you are a little unconscious.” There is a good cooperation, said Rummenigge about Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). However, he has the feeling “that the common thread between football and politics has been lost a bit.” Rummenigge’s statements come at a time when the number of new corona infections in Germany is increasing.
