“I would like us to be on the same level as FC Barcelona and FC Bayern in ten years.”
Hasan Ismaik at the beginning of his 1860s
Ismaik came as a savior for the traditional club that was on the brink of collapse. But he also came as a visionary who was aiming for a great future with the “Lions”. “I would like us to be on the same level as FC Barcelona and FC Bayern in ten years. But in order to achieve that, everything would have to go perfectly,” said Ismaik at his first press conference. For his return to the upper house, he calculated investments of 10 to 20 million euros within three years.
The club really dug deep into its pockets in the 2016/17 season, when Stefan Aigner, Ribamar and Christian Gytkjær came for a total of almost eight million euros. An extremely high sum at the time. In addition, star striker Ivica Olić received a proud salary. At the end of the season, however, there was not the hoped-for return to the Bundesliga, but rather the sporting decline into the 3rd league. In the relegation, the Munich team lost to Jahn Regensburg under scandalous circumstances. Fans threw poles, seats and other objects onto the field and the game was interrupted for a quarter of an hour.
Heiko Herrlich, Jahn’s coach at the time, called the behavior “highly dangerous” and demanded: “You should keep your attitude even in defeat.” 1860 captain Kai Bülow expressed other concerns. “Many players don’t know what’s next,” he said. A huge upheaval continued not in the 3rd league, but in the regional league. Because Ismaik did not transfer the necessary millions for the third division license.
The sale of the Ismaik shares failed in the last few meters
At that point, the Jordanian was no longer seen as a savior in Munich. An ongoing power struggle with the club’s top management, ostentatious appearances, empty promises and his fight against the 50+1 rule – the investor turned the majority of the fan community against him.
Ismaik stayed anyway and the club secured promotion to the 3rd league at the first attempt. However, the relationship between the traditional club and its lender did not improve in the following years. “I’ve been suffering from these people for 14 years. There is no appreciation, no respect. Nothing,” the businessman complained in April 2025. “I blame myself for not properly understanding 1860 before I bought – the culture, the history of the club, the 50+1 rule.”