Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has not been head of FC Bayern Munich for almost two years. But the former professional and CEO keeps a close eye on the former rivals in the fight for European titles. And what he sees in England in particular, he finds “not very intelligent”.
Former Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has criticized the behavior of English football clubs in the transfer market as unreasonable and “out of control”. “England spends astronomical sums in an unintelligent, irrational way,” the 67-year-old told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
“Other countries are progressing between financial difficulties and scandals, but they are also bringing home the trophies. That means the English are making crazy mistakes,” said Rummenigge. Chelsea FC, for example, squandered hundreds of millions in January to now find themselves in tenth place. Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opponents had spent around 600 million euros on new players this season, but lost the round of 16 first leg 0-1.
The former Italian professional Rummenigge also again emphasized his rejection of a European Super League. “It was no coincidence that three clubs with enormous liquidity problems came up with the idea. They are betting on generating large revenues very quickly,” said the former German national team captain. Juventus Turin, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are sticking to the project. Rummenigge sees the Club World Cup, which will be held in a new format with 32 teams from 2025, as an outdated format. “It produces useless finals that make no sense,” he said.
According to Rummenigge, FC Bayern’s advancement in the Champions League is by no means certain, despite the away win at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the round of 16. The way to the quarter-finals is “complicated because of Messi and Mbappé,” he warned. Argentina world champion Lionel Messi and France superstar Kylian Mbappé are two of the big stars at PSG.
