Barely two weeks after the first and so far last ghost game in German football, the duel between Borussia Monchengladbach and 1. FC Koln, professional football is about to find its way out of the crisis. While there is currently no prospect of continuing league operations, there are two tendencies as to how the federal leagues will face the financial and social challenges: by saving and donating.
On the one hand, numerous professional clubs have come to the realization that the first measure to cushion the financial consequences of the Corona crisis is that top wage earners have to forego wages. So far, this is the most internal measure aimed at ensuring the livelihood of clubs and their other employees. For days now, the outside world has become increasingly aware of the willingness to show social commitment through donations.
On Tuesday, the German Football League again, as expected, recommended that game operations be temporarily suspended until at least April 30. Work on plans until June 30th. In addition, the tender for media rights will be postponed to June by a month. Taking a fundamentally different path in the soccer business is not an option for the overwhelming majority of the 36 professional clubs. So far, only the president of FC St. Pauli, Oke Gottlich, sees the crisis as an opportunity for a fundamental change in the football system. “We have to question the previous system in professional football because it will have to give way to a new system of solidarity.” It is about what FC St. Pauli has been propagating for years: “Solidarity,
This attitude is the chance of survival for the league, “only in this way can football shrink healthily”. Gottlich receives support for his position from former Bundesliga professional Ewald Lienen, the long-time trainer and sports director of St. Pauli. The fact that a state like Qatar took over the Paris St-Germain club, according to Lienen, only led to a transfer fee of 100 million euros being perceived as “normal”. “You haven’t seen Manchester City and Paris in years. Suddenly they have endless money and set standards that bring everyone else into crisis. The standards are not set by the smaller clubs, but by the clubs that pay large salaries. The little ones have to keep up, however, ”said Lienen to the“ kicker ”. This development has led to a cost explosion in football as a whole. “Expenditures multiply to the point of no longer possible, even for TV companies that suddenly have to spend even more money, some of which cannot be generated at all. How much money should consumers pay to finance football? Why do we allow something like that? “
