Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the Super League, Financial Fair Play and Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the Super League, Financial Fair Play and Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona

Bayern Munich’s former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (65) did a detailed interview with the Spanish sports newspaper as talked about the latest developments in football, from the Super League and financial fair play to Lionel Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona. Since the Bosman ruling in 1995, football has been “on the wrong track”.

The former world-class striker, who left Bayern at the end of June 2021, also remembered a record offer from Real Madrid for Franck Ribery and classified the transfer rumors about Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland.

“Football has been on the wrong track since 1995, more precisely since the Bosman ruling.” At that time, a court ruling allowed the players to leave clubs free of charge after the end of their contract period. This has “led to a number of discrepancies in terms of salaries, commissions for agents and transfer fees for transfers,” analyzed Rummenigge. UEFA and FIFA would have to re-channel “a market that is getting increasingly out of control” in order to guarantee sporting competition on an equal footing.

Rummenigge referred to the transfer fees that had been paid in England and by PSG this summer: “The amounts that have been moved again in the latest market, especially in connection with the pandemic, are difficult to understand.” Especially with the Parisians, who have signed Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, among others, UEFA will look very carefully. However, compliance with the financial fair play rules can only really be assessed in summer 2022.

In general, the financial fair play has to be adjusted, stressed Rummenigge, after all, football has changed dramatically in the last ten years – this is where politics is also called for.

Rummenigge: Messi exit from Barca an ‘own goal’

Rummenigge described the fact that Barca had to let Messi go because of the consequences of financial fair play as an “own goal”: with him and Cristiano Ronaldo, LaLiga lost their two figureheads within three years.

A reduction in spending in Barcelona was inevitable due to the horrendous debt: “There is no alternative. My good friend Joan Laporta knows that too.” He referred to the enormous importance of the club in the region: “Imagine Catalonia without FC Barcelona. It is impossible.”

Rummenigge knew about Super League plans

The Super League was a reaction to the effects of the corona pandemic, said Rummenigge. He knew about the plans: “Let’s just say it didn’t get me out of the blue.” Plans for such a league have not only existed since April 2021.

The Super League is currently being kept alive by three clubs – Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus – but: “I find it difficult to imagine a competition with just three members.” In its current form, the Super League was dead due to the reaction of the fans: “No club in England, France or Germany will ever be tempted to play with fire again.”

Rummenigge: No offer from Real Madrid for Lewandowski

Rummenigge also spoke about the transfer rumors surrounding Robert Lewandowski this summer. Among other things, the royal family was said to be interested. The name Lewandowski was never mentioned in discussions with Florentino Perez: “He knows me well and knows that a player like Lewandowski will not be sold.” The striker still has a contract in Munich until 2023.

Erling Haaland as Lewandowski’s successor is meanwhile inconceivable: “The clubs are already lining up to convince him and his advisor. We will see a real auction to see who pays the highest salary, because the transfer fee has already been determined.” Haaland’s future salary cannot be raised by any Bundesliga club, “not even from Bavaria.” That Haaland stayed with BVB didn’t surprise him: “I know Aki (Watzke) and I know that he is a person who keeps his word. He said they would not sell him, and they did not either. “

It was similar with Franck Ribery in 2008: Real offered 75 million euros for him in 2008, “that would have broken all records at the time”. Back then, Bayern wanted to set an example: “We wanted to show the world that Bavaria is not a sales association.” Likewise, the players would have understood “that contracts are signed here in order to fulfill them.”

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