Stuttgart surprised as runner-up, but then VfB immediately lost their best striker Serhou Guirassy (r.) to their financially stronger opponents from Dortmund.
Photo: image/Uwe Kraft
The names and faces of Steffen Merkel and Marc Lenz are far from familiar to every fan. Popularity is also not what the two managing directors of the German Football League (DFL) are striving for. The dual leadership from Frankfurt’s Westend usually only comes into the picture when trophies are up for grabs: Most recently, Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky received the championship trophy and the Supercup from their hands. Many found this image inspiring: temporarily overcoming FC Bayern’s supremacy was the best thing that could have happened to a league from which many traditional brands have disappeared into the second division.
There are good reasons why the Werkself’s success, masterfully orchestrated by coach Xabi Alonso, does not have to remain a flash in the pan. “The self-confidence and hunger to play a successful season again are there – and so is the belief,” says manager Simon Rolfes before Bayer Leverkusen’s opening game of this season this Friday at Borussia Mönchengladbach. At the same time, Bayern Munich’s sports director Max Eberl promised: “After a titleless year as hunters, we will do everything we can to bring the championship and the DFB Cup back to Munich.”
Merkel and Lenz particularly highlighted the record popularity with more than 20 million tickets sold in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga when they recently took stock of the situation at the DFL headquarters: “We are all experiencing joy and confidence around German professional football again.” Different than in Corona times, the tongue is positive again. Which, by the way, also applies to most balance sheets.
But the result was impressive not only economically, but also in sporting terms. Germany scored the second most points behind Italy in the UEFA five-year rankings, and Bundesliga players scored the most at the European Championships with a total of 26 goals. In the past five years, the Bundesliga has had nine semi-finalists in the Champions League and Europa League, one more than the English Premier League. And the personnel cost ratio of 55 percent in the overall budget is considered exemplary among the top leagues.
International success is also possible without billions in donations from investors, oligarchs or states with dubious reputations. By committing to the 50+1 rule, the Bundesliga is taking a special path – and apparently it is leading to the goal, otherwise Dortmund and Leverkusen would not have made it to the finals of the Champions League and Europa League.
However, the premier class, with its opulent payouts, is also a danger because the national leagues are collapsing into a two-tier society. Leverkusen, Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig enjoy an almost unassailable financial advantage. Surprise runner-up Stuttgart almost inevitably had to give up top performers like Hiroki Ito, Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy directly to the competition from Munich and Dortmund.
However, the league makers still see an investment need of more than 300 million euros. “The growth fantasy lies in the international field,” says Merkel, but it will be “at least a middle-distance race.” For the new season, the DFL expects 216 million euros from foreign marketing, an increase of 14 million. The Premier League receives ten times as much. This is also why Merkel speaks of “challenges in times of change”. This also refers to digitalization, which does not stop at the media business in particular.
When it comes to money, the biggest danger at the moment is evident: the canceled and therefore still open award of media rights from the 2025/26 season hangs over the league like the sword of Damocles. The DFL is arguing with the streaming provider DAZN. He had allegedly made the best offer of 400 million euros per season for the Friday and Saturday games, but it was not accepted due to a lack of bank guarantees. The decision of the German Arbitration Institution is expected on September 24th. It’s a lot of money: at 1.5 billion euros, income from media exploitation in the last league report for the 2022/23 season accounted for more than a third.
The game calendar is also a cause for concern. This is being taken up by more and more appointments internationally; The massively expanded European Cup competitions are now pushing into January. The Bundesliga hardly has a winter break, continues playing after Christmas on January 10th and then immediately has an English week to choose the “autumn champion” in the new year. Just like the recent 15 games on Sunday at 7.30 p.m. – an extremely unpopular kick-off time for stadium visitors – this is unlikely to be in the interests of the supporters. The fan association “Our Curve” has formulated five demands for the new season: no “business as usual” with the video referee, enabling legal pyrotechnics, early scheduling of games, socially acceptable ticket prices and compliance with data protection.
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