Twelve big clubs’ attempts to form a European Super League are sparking outrage across Europe. German football, from players to coaches, officials to clubs, opposes “decoupling” from UEFA. Bayern Munich and Dortmund, two Bundesliga giants, have explicitly refused to join the Europa League as founding clubs.
On April 20, local time, Bayern Munich President Rummenigge announced: “On behalf of the club made it clear that I will not participate in the Europa League!” He also stressed: “Bayern Munich will be closely linked with the Bundesliga. For Bayern, the Champions League is the best top competition. “The Europa League is hurting European football as a whole and we have to stop that from happening.”
The Dortmund club have also refused to join the Europa League. The club’s chief executive, Mr Wozniak, said Dortmund shared Bayern Munich’s position: “We oppose the formation of the Europa League and support UEFA’s restructuring of the Champions League. ”
Fritz Keller, the president of the German Football Association, was even more scathing: “Clubs and their youth teams should be banned from all competitions – until they realise again that it is their supporters, not their money, who make them big clubs.” Seifert, the president of the German Professional Football Federation, questioned the economic management of some of the club’s big clubs: “Some clubs are poorly run and fail to develop sustainable business models, thus being in debt of hundreds of millions of euros. He also expressed appreciation for the rejection of the Europa League by Bayern Munich and Dortmund.
