The Bundesliga is seething
Why playoffs don’t solve the problems
By Emmanuel Schneider
02/11/2022, 7:12 p.m
For almost ten years, the Bundesliga has been sinking into a master fight boredom. So what to do? The new league boss Donata Hopfen is open to playoffs and even Bayern do not reject the mind game. Alone: the introduction of the format would not solve the problems.
German professional football doesn’t need playoffs, they already exist in a certain way. And are called: DFB Cup. Anyone who likes surprises and knockout games will be happy here. Although the well-known heavyweights usually dominate in the cup (the winners of the past ten years: five times Bayern, three times Dortmund, once each Wolfsburg and Frankfurt), this cup round alone with four second division teams in the quarter-finals shows: excitement and surprises are possible. And this season there may even be a whole new winner. A wonderful competition with a prospect of sensations and stories. At least more than in the league.
Because there is a lull in tension at the top. For years. FC Bayern is well on the way to bagging its tenth championship in a row. The last non-Bayern champion was Borussia Dortmund in 2012. It’s been a long time. Surprise champions like Bremen (2004), Stuttgart (2007), Wolfsburg (2010)? Almost impossible. The league format is actually as simple as it is charming: the German champions are played throughout the season. First leg, second leg. In the end, the master is certain. This format is established, popular with the fans and crowns the best team of the season in the long run. However, the proven path since the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 seems to be leading to a dead end. Hence the playoff calls now accelerating the debate.
“If playoffs help us…”
Because even in the upper floors of the league it is becoming increasingly clear that things cannot go on like this in the long run. Bayern’s dominance is crushing the business, which largely lives from the attractiveness and excitement of the Bundesliga product. That became clear recently in an interview with the new DFL boss Hopfen. “Of course, the league would be more attractive if it had more competition at the top,” she told “Bild am Sonntag”. “If playoffs help us, then we’ll talk about playoffs,” Hopfen continued. There are no “sacred cows” for her, and she didn’t want to rule out a Supercup in Saudi Arabia (that’s a completely different topic).
What was surprising at first glance was Bayern’s reaction. The league dominator does not play down the idea as in previous years, but is open. “I find it exciting to think about new models such as playoffs for the Bundesliga,” said Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn: “A format with semi-finals and finals would mean excitement for the fans, so it makes sense to play through such an idea.” It didn’t always sound like that. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has often appeared as a reform fan, had recently also expressed playoff concerns.
On Friday he reacted to the current debate: he was basically a friend of discussing everything. “In the end, everything you change has to add value. For the Bundesliga, for the fans.” If at some point smart people “come together and decide that it would be an added value, then I’m the last one to close my mind to it.” A clear yes. A willingness, however, is clearly to be heard.
The question of format
Don’t get me wrong, playoffs themselves are an interesting approach that can definitely create excitement. He is best known from the USA, where he has a long tradition in US sport. At the end of the day, the best teams will play out the champions in a playoff tournament. Often in so-called “best-of” formats. For example, whoever wins four direct duels first advances. In football, a kind of Final Four with just one game or a return match like in the European Cup or a “best-of-three” format would be obvious approaches. Which format the league would favor is in the stars.
Would that mean there would be another master in Germany? Perhaps. But even with the first and second leg, the chances of the best in the industry increase again. How often have Bayern really failed in crucial home and away games in recent years? FCB won the title in the knockout tournament of the 2020 Champions League, which was shortened due to Corona. A surprising 0:5 smack like in the DFB Cup against Gladbach last October is the exception.
And there would also be the problem with the number of games. Imagine, after the 34 main round games, there are still several rounds with possibly up to three (in the “best-of-three” format) games. In the worst case (for example, if the top eight play out the playoffs), there would be nine more games at the end of the season of the season. That will be a real problem in terms of time as well as for reasons of stress (there is also an EM/WM).
The main problem cannot be eliminated
There may also be a risk of sporting distortion. Because if it should be clear that you have already reached the playoffs in March, top teams like Bayern could rest the stars towards the end of the season and send the B team onto the field. The outcry would be great. Now you can interpret the sudden Bayern sympathy for the playoffs as a smoke screen. Because the main problem in the league – the financial imbalance between the teams – cannot be eliminated even through playoffs. The introduction of the new format was merely window dressing. The problem isn’t the format, it’s the current situation.
The financial possibilities have been so different for years that the Bavarians march through, the rest watches with larger or smaller binoculars. If you really want to make the league more exciting and change something in the long term, you have to resort to measures other than playoffs. Keyword TV money and redistribution. A topic that has been debated for a long time and tiresomely, but is not losing its relevance. On the contrary. The difference in TV income among the Bundesliga clubs is around 180 million euros between the top and bottom of the field – mainly thanks to the lavish income from international games such as the Champions League.
Does it surprise anyone that the dominance is cemented? Added to this are the funds from sponsoring, merchandising and ticket sales. Oh yes: From 2024, a new TV deal will take effect in the Champions League. More money for the big players. In general, the European Cup. It hasn’t taken place in the knockout format for a long time. Participation in the group stage already guarantees gigantic sums. Which then, in almost all of Europe, devalue the national leagues. Despite very solid results in Europe, Borussia Dortmund has long surpassed the other teams financially in Germany.
Fans want to “tackle real problems”
The gap is too big. Instead of the playoffs, Hopfen and Kahn would have to talk about sensible redistribution. It is obvious that this is not a priority for Bayern. For the series champion, pushing the idea of playoffs is more convenient than taking financial penalties, which would really hurt but make the league more exciting. Approaches to solving the problem are on the table. More radical redistribution, central marketing of sponsorship income, caps on costs, caps on salaries. So far it has not been implemented. And playoffs are more likely to be introduced than redistribution.
However, the renewed playoff proposal has met with rejection from organized fans. “It is significant that there is talk of a new game format rather than addressing the real issues that lead to a lack of competition at the top,” said the fans’ association Our Curve. “We don’t need new formats and competitions that flush more money into football through even more marketing.” Many fans are obviously worried about a “Bundesliga Bowl”. In her interview with “Bams”, the head of the league, Hopfen, also called for “the focus to be more on the fan.” That is the most important task for the future. You should approach him and ask what he wants. Perhaps now is the time to put words into action.