Bayern Munich supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed a structural reorganisation at the Bayern campus, clarifying that sporting director Christoph Freund and campus director Jochen Sauer now hold complete operational authority over the club’s youth academy, and that Max Eberl will no longer have a say in their operations.
Speaking on the executive hierarchy at Säbener Straße, in an interview captured by @iMiaSanMia, Rummenigge outlined a clear division of responsibilities designed
to maximize the financial and sporting yield of Bayern’s academy infrastructure. “Christoph Freund’s main area of responsibility is the campus. It has now been decided that Christoph and Jochen Sauer will have full responsibility for the campus in the future. The campus needs to play an even bigger role for FC Bayern going forward,” he said.
Rummenigge continued to explain the reasoning behind why they chose to rearrange the hierarchy on the ground, talking about the importance of youth players. “Take this year as an example: We actually wanted to sell Palhinha, Boey, Zaragoza and Nübel. Collectively, we expected those deals to bring in a package worth between €60 million and €70 million. In the end, they brought in €20 million. We were then saved by the sales of the young players, including (Noel) Aséko, (Arijon) Ibrahimović and (Jonah) Kusi-Asare. That was mainly down to Jochen and Christoph. They are absolute experts in this area and they look after the campus on a daily basis. Scouting is the sporting director’s responsibility, with Max Eberl, as board member for sport, above. The most important thing is that everyone works together harmoniously and loyally.”
This comes after the news that Rummenigge abstained in the vote to retain Eberl, and even though Eberl won himself a new contract, the former CEO probably still isn’t fully convinced of his abilities. Do you agree with FC Bayern’s decision to give Freund and Sauer full control over the campus, or should Eberl maintain direct influence over youth development? Let us know in the comments!
