FC Bayern boss Oliver Kahn open to Bundesliga play-offs

“Excitement for the Fans”

Bayern board member Oliver Kahn is open to possible championship playoffs in the Bundesliga. “I find it exciting to think about new models such as playoffs for the Bundesliga,” said the head of the record champions from Munich to “Kicker”. “A format in the Bundesliga with semi-finals and finals would mean excitement for the fans. So it makes sense to play through such an idea. We at FC Bayern are always open to new ideas,” said the 52-year-old.

The new DFL boss Donata Hopfen had brought up the playoffs. “The league would of course be more attractive if it had more competition at the top,” said the 45-year-old in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag” with a view to FC Bayern Munich’s possible tenth title in a row. “If playoffs help us, then let’s talk about playoffs. But we mustn’t forget that Bayern have done a super job in recent years.”

DFL statement on the playoff debate: open-ended discussion process

According to a “Kicker” survey within the Bundesliga, playoffs are rejected by a majority. Among them are club representatives such as Rudi Völler from Bayer Leverkusen, Markus Krösche from Eintracht Frankfurt or Dirk Zingler from Union Berlin, the report said.

“A completely wrong approach, I’m absolutely against it,” quotes the magazine as ex-national coach Völler. Bochum’s Sebastian Schindzielorz said: “VfL sees football as a popular sport, as it was and as it should be.” Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler also positioned himself: Playoffs are “not expedient”. The idea for this had “always not been pursued for understandable reasons,” explained Hertha’s Fredi Bobic.

BVB managing director and DFL supervisory board chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said on the playoff question: “It is well known that I was never a friend of the playoffs. But there must be no fundamental prohibitions on thinking, taking into account the respective overall situation with a view to the game modes.”

The DFL answered a “Kicker” request as follows: “As is well known, there are different ideas in various places in the league with a view to the game mode, but these are currently far from a decision and certainly from being implemented. Such a far-reaching decision must be preceded by an intensive, structured dialogue with the clubs and the relevant league bodies, taking all arguments into account. The DFL will carefully prepare this open-ended discussion process and conduct it with the clubs in the coming months.”

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