“Equal play before equal pay”: Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer on the salary gap in women’s football

In an interview for FCBayern.com, Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer spoke on a number of topics related to the club. Among them was a question about the pay gap between men’s and women’s football. Given that Bayern field a very successful women’s football team, Hainer’s answer gives insight into what top level executives think of the women’s game and how it can be improved.

“I speak about it often with Karin Danner and Bianca Rech from our sporting management,” said the FC Bayern club president. “It’s quite clear that we must first be talking about equal play rather than equal pay in club football — our women say that themselves. It’s about creating structures in German women’s football in order to establish a professional, top-level competition.”

As for how this can be achieved, Hainer answered, “That’s to do with factors such as training opportunities, medical care at clubs or equal competitive conditions within the league. The DFB and all clubs are responsible here. Everything must grow in a healthy and sensible way, it can only ever be step by step.”