Earlier this week, FC Bayern confirmed Viessmann Generations Group will join Adidas, Audi and Allianz as major external shareholders of the club. In an exclusive interview with “Welt am Sonntag”, FC Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeneß discussed the matter with his usual frankness.
“This money isn't intended for the immediate purpose of squad building. It's a long-term investment and won't automatically lead us to titles,” Hoeneß started his explanation (via @iMiaSanMia). “We won't be changing our transfer policy either. And that's not necessary. Clubs that spend money like crazy always end up getting burned.
“I'm thinking of Liverpool, who spent around €500 million and only finished fifth in the Premier League. Even Paris Saint-Germain only won the Champions League after they started making sensible investments. And that was without Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Good scouting and developing players are the keys to success.”
Hoeneß also talked about next season's Champions League final, which will be played at Bayern's ground, Allianz Arena. The 74-year-old was the club's president when they lost the previous “Finale dahoam” against Chelsea.
“Reaching the final is always the goal. And reaching the final in Munich is a particularly special dream. But you can't plan something like that." said the controversial figure in a changed tone from his demanding quote back in 2012.
“You shouldn’t reduce everything to winning a trophy. So much can happen - suspensions, injuries. When I hear people say, ‘The treble is the only objective,’ it frustrates me. We have a different philosophy from clubs where money is no object, where hedge funds or entire countries finance the club.
“We now have more than 450,000 members. When I joined FC Bayern in 1979, we had 8,000. A third of our members have never been able to watch one of our matches in our stadium because it is always sold out, and yet our membership continues to grow relentlessly. That is an enormous success."