Bayern Munich camp split on feelings towards the new-look Club World Cup

Bayern Munich would be one of 24 participants in a new-look Club World Cup in 2021, which would take place in China and run from the middle of June to the beginning of July.

While the tournament could prove to be an excellent opportunity for the club’s television rights, marketing efforts, and fan engagement, there are mixed opinions amongst Bayern’s front office, coaching staff and players (AZ).

For all the positives the tournament could bring, Hansi Flick feels that added matches for the players could prove to be problematic when they would otherwise have a brief summer break:

The players, they are the ones who suffer. You really have to look whether it’s reasonable to ask the players to play in a Club World Cup during a summer break in which no major tournaments take place.

Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

But the front office sees the tournament differently. Former club President Uli Hoeness described it as “wonderful” and “super” last year as an alternative to the Confederations Cup ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added that the reformed format would be far better than having the tournament take place in the middle of the winter, saying that the timing around the holidays made it “uninteresting” and “not lucrative.”

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Peter Bosz was critical of Bayern’s front office for advocating for the reform because there already is a significant financial gap between Bayern and most other teams in the Bundesliga. The Bavarians would receive approximately €46 million for their participation alone, which is something that Bosz feels would only widen that economic gap:

Bayern Munich already has a financial advantage. Let them invent another competition and play every two days! I won’t watch it.

Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images

While Bayern’s front office is on board with involvement in the reformed Club World Cup, nothing has been made official yet. They remain one of the top likely participants along with Real Madrid and Liverpool, who have won the competition for the past two seasons after winning the Champions League prior. An unnamed spokesperson for UEFA told AZ, “There are really a few scenarios. And the scenario with Bayern Munich can be one of them. But it is only one of the possibilities. I can’t say whether that is the preferred one.”