Munich (dpa) – According to the former Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Champions League end of FC Bayern Munich is not due to the poor quality of the squad.
“There are 18 players in the FC Bayern squad who are expected to take part in the World Cup,” said the 66-year-old from “Bild” and added: “The elimination is not due to the quality of the squad.”
After a 0-1 draw in the first leg, clearly favored FC Bayern were eliminated by a 1-1 draw against Villarreal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. In the summer of 2021, after two decades, Rummenigge handed over the chairmanship of the German record champions to Oliver Kahn.
Contract talks as a climate killer
Rummenigge said that losing out to Villarreal in the quarter-finals did not reflect the expectations of FC Bayern and their fans. “If I could give FC Bayern one piece of advice, and that applies to football in general, it would be that everyone in the club should limit themselves to their skills. Things like contract extensions are a matter for the board of directors and the supervisory board.”
He had noticed that the impression had been created that only contract talks were taking place all the time, and that everything was constantly being publicly debated. “It’s not good, it’s not helpful in such a phase of the season. Here you have to find a procedure that doesn’t permanently disturb the climate.”
The disappointment after leaving was huge, said Rummenigge. Bayern had a pitch-black day in the first leg. “If you analyze the 180 minutes soberly, Villarreal’s progress is not even undeserved.” There is so much at stake, financial income, image, talks with players about contract extensions. “A defeat like this comes at the worst possible time.”