Werder Bremen’s former supervisory board chairman Marco Bode has spoken out in favor of a different distribution of television money in the Bundesliga. “Of course, sport is about being successful, and the successful must be rewarded. But not with more and more money, but with titles,” said the former national player in an interview with Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung ” (Tuesday).
Bode asked why the first player had to get three times as much money as the last player in the league. “The principle of success does not have to apply there, I would rather like to create a balance,” he said. Sport also lives from the fact that the differences in the conditions do not become too great.
Kahn contradicted Bode. One should not ignore certain laws of the market, said the Bayern boss. “For the big broadcasters, the reach that they achieve by broadcasting the different competitions plays an important role. And if FC Bayern is responsible for 35 percent of the national and international reach of the Bundesliga, then I wouldn’t find any form of leveling down fair.” Nevertheless, it has always been possible to “make the distribution relatively solidary if you compare it with other leagues”.
Bode agreed with Kahn “that Bayern’s dominance is not all about money”. Good decisions are the most important success factor. “You can never blame Bayern for being so successful. They have achieved that primarily through good performances,” said Bremen. “What I criticize are the conditions and the rules.”
Kahn and Bode played together in the national team. At the 2002 World Cup, the two 53-year-olds finished second. When they were active, record champions Bayern Munich and Werder were still at eye level. This Tuesday (8.30 p.m. / Sky and Sat.1) Werder Bremen will play as a promoted team in Munich with their old rival. Kahn has been CEO of FC Bayern since July 2021, and Bode resigned as chairman of the Hanseatic board of directors after seven years after SV Werder were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2021.
