Excludes extra obligation
© Imago
According to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the record price of the new club World Cup of around one billion dollars will not lead to profound upheavals on the transfer market. “There will be no dramatic changes in statics. (…) Bayern Munich will not buy a player for the club World Cup,” said the FCB supervisory board of the “Sport Bild”.
“As always, there will be some large transfers,” said Rummenigge: “But the club World Cup will have no effect on the transfer market.” The 69-year-old explained it as follows: “With just under 30 million euros, you can no longer show up on the transfer market today. But even with at best over 100 million euros as a tournament winner, spread over four years, you cannot play the Kösus on the transfer market.”
This year the club World Cup will take place in the USA from June 14 to July 13. Usually access may only be possible for their new club from July 1st, so that special regulations had to be hit. Bavaria is said to receive a entry fee of over 25 million euros, Borussia Dortmund as the second German starter a little less. Rummenigge finds a different fact as more important than the premiums. FIFA’s willingness, “to abolish the Confed Cup for the club World Cup”, rates higher than the prize money: “Now our international players are running up in the Bayern Munich jersey in the USA-and we are also rewarded for this.”
The format change “the whole tournament at a whole new level”. By 2023, the World Cup was held in KO mode with six or seven teams, with representatives from Europe and South America already set for the semi-finals. From this year, 32 teams take part in the tournament that starts with a group phase. “The money also played a role, we don’t need to talk around it very much, but it is much more important that we have a format change,” said Rummenigge.
According to Rummenigge, the reform will lead to a strengthening of the Bundesliga and Champions League. The Bundesliga is “the basis for qualifying for the Champions League, that is, the cherry on the cake”. Thus, the premier class will still be gained in “sporting importance, because it qualifies for the club World Cup”. The Bundesliga will “never play a subordinate role,” said Rummenigge.