Bundesliga boss accepts need for change after coronavirus

As politicians in states across Germany mull over German Football League (DFL) proposals to resume the Bundesliga season behind closed doors next month, Christian Seifert has admitted the DFL must learn some harsh lessons from the coronavirus pandemic.

In a straight-talking interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper, the CEO of the organization which runs the Bundesliga said the break in play necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic had brought some major issues up to the surface.

"The most noticeable criticism is currently to be found at the intersection between sport and business," Seifert admitted. "It's about players' salaries, shamelessly displayed wealth, transfer fees and agents who collect millions for a standard employment contract that they can download from our website."

In comparison to some European Leagues, notably the Premier League in England and Spain's La Liga, the Bundesliga's transfer fees, wages and agents' fees are relatively low. Nevertheless, six-figure weekly salaries are commonplace at the top end while transfer fees routinely reach seven and eight-figure sums.

German football has often attracted praise for its 50+1 ownership model which, for the most part, enshrines member-controlled clubs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical television revenues are. About a third of the 36 clubs in the top two divisions are believed to be facing bankruptcy if a way to play out the season isn't found in the coming weeks. The most high profile of these is Schalke.

- Read more: Coronavirus: Bundesliga counts down to kickoff

Seifert said that while the DFL does not want to become the "world champion of announcements," he wants his organization to impose standards that limit "questionable developments" in the game.

The 50-year-old is planning to set up a task force called "Future Professional Football" in the autumn. Sharing equity more evenly among clubs will be on the table but Seifert said a salary cap on player wages might also come under consideration.

While such systems are relatively common in American sports, it would be very difficult to introduce in European football where players can move freely between countries and leagues and incomes can swing wildly from season to season.

"A salary cap would violate European law," confirmed Seifert, but he went on to say that, should UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin approach the European Union about the introduction of salary caps and the limiting of transfer and agent fees, "I'll be the first to accompany him."

Though an early end to the season would cost the Bundesliga approximately €770 million ($834 million), Seifert said correspondence he had received during the break had made him re-examine his and his organization's perspective.

"What got me thinking were some of the letters and e-mails I have received, which revealed an aversion on the part of some people, which shows that there are really deep-seated reservations about professional football in its current form."

- Read more: 'Quarantine for football!' Bundesliga fan groups oppose restart and demand change

Watzke's reservations

There will be some who say it's about time such a realization was made and plenty who will remain skeptical that an increasingly commercialized sport will make any real changes, particularly when those at the top end remain committed to a model that has served them so well – until now, at least.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke rejected Seifert's musings on a different direction for German club football, telling broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday that his club wouldn't want an American-style 'closed shop model' without promotion or relegation. "We have a different self-image," he said.

If the Bundesliga is to return in May, it will look very different. The question is just how different it will be in the longer term.