Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn condemns clubs like FC Barcelona and Juventus posting losses every year

If there’s anything that annoys a German, it’s financial imprudence. This goes doubly so for German football clubs, who tend to be well run with a few exceptions. So, speaking to Bild, it’s no surprise that Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn expressed his disdain for big clubs who run up massive losses year after year. While he didn’t name any names, Juventus and FC Barcelona are the two major ones who come to mind.

“It’s very irritating for FC Bayern,” said the former goalkeeper. “We have been operating solidly and seriously for years, while other clubs are reporting losses of between 50 and 150 million euros.”

Juventus’ board of directors recently resigned en masse thanks to accounting irregularities in their financial statements. Former club president Andrea Agnelli was allegedly hiding hundreds of millions of euros in losses from books. Meanwhile, former Barca president Josep Maria Bartoemeu was even arrested in a probe related to financial mismanagement.

“It’s a mystery to me how can this happen within the framework of financial fair play,” said Kahn. “Therefore, we now expect consistent implementation of the tightened financial regulations and punishment of violations.”

Of course, with the way UEFA is run, he shouldn’t hold his breath. While Juve and Barca are the current headline grabbers, Chelsea also seem determined to spend their way into a hole thanks to new owner Todd Boehly. And the less we say about the financial doping of PSG and Manchester City (soon to be joined by Newcastle), the better.

Right now, it feels like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are the only big clubs that can be both financially solvent and competitive at the same time. With the proliferation of oil money and the push to create a European Super League (of which Juve, Barca, and Madrid are major proponents), it feels like Bayern’s way of doing things is becoming outdated.