opinion
Oh, how beautiful that was! Bochum fiddles Bayern away. In the current debate about boredom in the Bundesliga, the promoted coup comes at a good time. However, it is not an argument for the introduction of play-offs.
You could almost become a conspiracy theorist: Ironically, when the discussion about changing the game mode actually picks up speed in the league, the all-powerful Bavarians black out and lose to the defensive Ruhrpott promoted from Bochum. As if they wanted to say: There’s no need to discuss play-offs. We’ll lose even without it. At least every now and then…
If only it were that easy. Because the last day of the game showed once again what German football is currently missing. That trace of madness. The unpredictability. This “no one knows how it will end” that the then national coach Sepp Herberger once said about the fascination of football.
Bochum coup in the middle of the play-off debate
Now it is probably a coincidence that Bochum’s coup happened at a time when German football is finally opening up to a long overdue debate. Namely how competitiveness in the Bundesliga can be restored given the long-term dominance from Munich. Ironically, the new boss of the German Football League (DFL), Donata Hopfen, had fueled the discussion before the most recent matchday: “The league would of course be more attractive if it had more competition at the top,” Hopfen said in an interview with “Bild on Sunday” explained and announced: “If playoffs help us, then we’ll talk about playoffs.”
The curious thing is that both supporters and opponents of a final mode at the end of the season can now take credit for Bayern stumbling in Bochum. Who needs playoffs when there are already games like the one in Bochum, argue the league keepers, who, according to a “kicker” survey, still include the majority of Bundesliga clubs. For example, Christian Streich, coach at SC Freiburg, says: “I think that whoever has the most points after 34 games should also win the championship.” In his eyes, the “championship in the way it is now is the fairest and most meaningful, but not always the most exciting”.
Exciting or fair – which Bundesliga do we want?
In fact, that is the key question facing the clubs, those responsible for the league and the fans: Exciting or fair? Which Bundesliga do we actually want to see? One that takes into account the idea of athletic performance, according to which the team that plays the most consistently over the entire season comes out on top? Or a play-off extravaganza, a post-season “Week of Football” where the top four champions are played in a knockout format. And where sensational victories like the one in Bochum or recently FC St. Pauli against Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Cup are at least within the realm of possibility?
It is a bit surprising that Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn, of all people, can get something out of the play-off idea. “I find it exciting to think about new models like play-offs in the Bundesliga,” Kahn said in a “kicker” interview. “A mode in the Bundesliga with semi-finals and finals would mean excitement for the fans. So it makes sense to play through such an idea.”
The fact that Bayern are at least open to the discussion deserves respect. And indeed, a play-off rule would have its charm as far as the current season is concerned. If you assume a model with semi-finals and finals between the top four of a season, even tenth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, three points behind, could still hope for fourth place and, with a bit of luck, for the championship. In games like Cologne versus Frankfurt or Mainz versus Leverkusen, like those taking place next weekend, there would actually still be something at stake.
However, and the “Our Curve” fan alliance pointed this out in the current debate, the play-off discussion is not a solution as long as the division in Reich (through regular participation in the Champions League or a financially strong companies as financiers) and poor (all the despicable rest) a two-tier society is cemented. After all, what use are play-offs if the quartet Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig and Leverkusen make up the race among themselves every season?
Bundesliga as a two-class society
“We don’t need any new formats and competitions that flush more money into football through even more marketing. We finally need regulations that ensure the integrity of the competition,” explained “Unsere Curve”. And that includes a more even distribution of TV money as well as the introduction of national financial fair play, “the urgently needed cap” on salaries in football and the prevention of multiple investments.
And that’s exactly the issue you really want to hear more about from Oliver Kahn. The Bavarians are currently receiving around 90 million euros from TV marketing for this season, promoted Bochum just over 31 million. Bayern recently received 125 million euros for their participation in the Champions League. From 2024, this sum will increase significantly again due to the new mode. Whether and under what conditions Munich may be willing to cede part of this money to the competition in terms of the overall Bundesliga product, that would be a Kahn announcement. And not just free courage.
By the way: What a championship could look like in which everyone – players, officials and fans – can have fun again can be seen in the 2nd division. Six teams still have a realistic chance of winning the title there, including the three former Premier League heavyweights Schalke, Werder and HSV. Excitement and tradition, so both are possible. Football heart, what more do you want!
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
