Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: UCL revenue changes defend European football

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has defended the new Champions League revenue distribution and told Der Spiegel it was a necessary step to defend European football against the "economic strength of Premier League."

Bayern Munich CEO Rummenigge said the Premier League's TV deal -- worth £5.136 billion across three years -- "crushes us all."

UEFA gave four guaranteed Champions League group-stage places to the top four leagues -- currently the Bundesliga, La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A -- and will redistribute the prize money to better reward historic success in European football from the 2018-19 season.

Rummenigge said the changes were needed to eliminate fears of a breakaway European Super League and maintain the competitiveness of clubs outside the Premier League.

"What would have happened if the big clubs had followed the money's siren call [to form a breakaway league]? To put it crudely, the Champions League would have blown up," Rummenigge, also the president of the European Club Association, said.

"Everyone believes the economic strength of the Premier League is a great threat. With its €3.3bn per season TV deal, it crushes us all.

"Through that, the English clubs rule the transfer market. It affects everyone, from Real Madrid to [2. Bundesliga club] St. Pauli."

The Bayern chief said the TV money meant the wages Premier League clubs could offer -- in addition to the transfer fees they could pay -- had become an issue for teams from mainland Europe.

"The bigger problem is the wages," he said. "The English can make an offer to every player, even though he might be under contract for four more years. And they do it, because they have to buy quality."

Bayern could face a battle to keep striker Robert Lewandowski, who is under contract until 2019 but has been linked with Real Madrid.

But Rummenigge said: "The new money from the Champions League helps. We can offer a satisfying package for not only our German players but also the foreign ones."

The new Champions League revenue distribution could see Bayern earn over €100 million per season.

Citing the globalisation of the sport and its focus on a few top teams, Rummenigge said: "Clubs like Bayern Munich, Manchester United or Real Madrid naturally earn more than Darmstadt, Freiburg and many others.

"But how can you balance such a development? It's not possible in this global world." 

To increase the competitiveness of Bundesliga, and also the excitement for the fans, Rummenigge said the league needs "a third or fourth strong club in Europe" behind Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

On Monday, however, former league president Wolfgang Holzhauser told kicker that plans in Germany to introduce Bundesliga playoffs between the top four teams are "more relevant than ever."

The 66-year-old added: "In the long run, the dominance of one club is not good for the competition. The big partners also do care about the league lasting longer than October, to put it pointedly."

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