This Saturday, September 5 2026, is the first Bundesliga clash between Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 since the Bavarians destroyed Die Königsblauen 6-0 in May 2023. Sensing an opportunity, German news site Bild did what they do best and angled to get some dramatic quotes by asking Schalke and Bayern president Axel Hefer and Herbert Hainer, respectively, to sit down with them for a joint interview.
Bild got their wish, too, as the conversation turned to the Bundesliga and the Bavarians’ dominance of
it. Hefer did not mince his words (much) and spoke of his disappointment of the development of the league:
“From a fan’s perspective, and also from Bayern’s perspective, I don’t think the current outcome is ideal,” the 49-year-old stated bluntly (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “In his 13 years of life, my son has only experienced a different German champion once, that becomes boring. I believe Bayern, too, should have a strong interest in rethinking the league format. That way, they can continue playing in the Champions League every year, while at the same time bringing a little more excitement to the league.”
Of course every other team in Germany is understandably frustrated by Bayern’s dominance. But Hefer’s mistake was assuming that Bayern would be one of those teams.
“I assume you’re referring to the introduction of a playoff system,” Hainer replied. “We see things differently. Whoever is at the top after 34 matchdays should be crowned German champion. The best example is last season’s basketball campaign: we finished comfortably top of the table after the regular season, but then lost the final playoff game against Alba Berlin because our team was simply exhausted after 83 games over the course of the season. Don’t get me wrong: Alba were the better team in the final series and therefore deserved to win. But the fairest system is for the team at the top after the regular season to be crowned German champions. We shouldn’t talk the league down. Two years ago, Leverkusen won the title, and there is always a close battle for the European places and against relegation as well. And Mr. Hefer, Schalke will also have sold out every match this season. So, in that respect, you cannot say that the Bundesliga is boring.”
To Bild’s undoubted excitement, the tit for tat continued: “When I listen to you, Mr. Hainer, I believe we have fundamentally different views on this point,” Hefer retorted. “We have made it our mission to inspire and excite people, that is our highest principle. Success is a key factor in that, but it does not stand above everything else. If I were in your position, I would not find it desirable to become champions every single year – excitement comes from achieving something that was never guaranteed in the first place.”
One has to give it to Hefer, he has done a wonderful job providing Schalke fans with thrilling 2. Bundesliga action in recent years.
Hainer, however, knows that one does not need to plunge a club into massive debt, relegate them to the second division and bring them to the brink of the 3. Liga to excite the fans:
“I can assure you that we excite our fans more than enough. When ticket sales for the following season begin at the end of a campaign, every single match – with 75,000 spectators – is sold out within three hours. We have seen a surge in membership over the past two years like never before – 1,000 new members every week. We are now well over 450,000 members in total. So I cannot say that our fans are not excited about FC Bayern. Everywhere we go for away matches, the stadiums are sold out. No other club in the Bundesliga achieves that. And you are right, there is a disagreement between us on this point: I want to become champion every single year.”
BFW Analysis
Bayern’s dominance is obviously not good for the Bundesliga. The league is clearly a worse product, much less interesting to international fans and national fans (outside of Munich) despair at knowing their team faces astronomical odds of winning the title.
But it is not Bayern’s job to fix the situation. Bayern’s sole prerogative is to be successful and success is found in victory. It is the German league’s job to fix the situation and any attempts from Bayern to make things more interesting would simply be self sabotage. Of course most people in Germany want things to change, but to expect Bayern to assist in making themselves less successful would be silly.
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