The Staggering Difference.

THEY play in red and white, moved to a new stadium in 2005, argue for Financial Fair Play and always return a profit.
They’ve not won a trophy in years. They charge around £100 a ticket. And then there is Arsenal.

Bayern Munich visit the Emirates as the Bundesliga’s super-team and Europe’s strongest club financially. Debt-free and boasting the fourth-highest annual turnover in club football. Like Arsenal, Bayern charge £95 a ticket.

The thing is at Bayern that is for a SEASON TICKET not a single match.

Bayern, Champions League finalists in two of the last three years, have not won a trophy in two years. To them that feels more like eight years. So last summer they spent a club record £32million to buy Javi Martinez, a defensive midfielder from Athletic Bilbao. A squad player for Spain. His is not really a name to sell millions of shirts or help the club conquer the Far East markets. Yet they are now 15 points clear of back-to-back champs Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.

They turned over around £320million last season — £70m more than Arsenal. Their profit was just £9m as they invest “everything back in the team.” The three men who have made it happen are Germany and Bayern legends Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (president) and Uli Hoeness (chairman of the board) plus financial guru Karl Hopfner.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis sits next to Rummenigge at the European Club Association, the main driving force for FFP.
Hopfner moved upstairs as vice-president last month after almost 30 years as financial director. They have turned a profit for all but one of the last 23 years. He said: “Money scores goals. It is my firm conviction. Quality has a cost.” Landing Pep Guardiola as boss from next summer was the pinnacle of his career. But Hopfner added: “A signing alone cannot be the crowning moment. Titles and trophies are. Two years without a title is like an eternity. A third year is not on.”

Bayern pay £20m a season towards their Allianz Arena since 2005 while Arsenal pay £25m a year (since 2006) for their new stadium. In that time though Bayern have also signed Franck Ribery — after Arsene Wenger passed — Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger plus £25m on Mario Gomez. Two years ago they spent £19m to buy Manuel Neuer because they needed a top keeper — the second biggest fee for a No 1 behind Juventus’ £32.7m Gigi Buffon. Last week Peter Schmeichel dubbed Neuer the “best keeper in the world.” Ribery also cost around £18m. Not really prohibitive even for Arsenal.

Despite their huge lead at the top of the Bundesliga, on Friday night at Wolfsburg Bayern played a full-strength side even though they were due to face Arsenal and won 2-0. Arsenal, trophyless for eight years, played 18 hours later, fielded a weakened team against Blackburn and got knocked out of the FA Cup. Two global German giants, a sportswear company and a car manufacturer own 9.1 per cent of the club each. The rest belongs to the club’s members, ie the fans.

The Allianz Arena holds around 71,000 — just over 67,000 for European matches because of UEFA restrictions. There are only 35,000 season-ticket holders because Bayern want to expand their fan base, not just ensure money at the coffers. Hoeness said: “If the same people come every week you don’t win over any more new fans.” They keep 12,000 season-tickets very cheap. Standing tickets!

Now, Ivan, ask any Gooner tomorrow would they want to stand and shout for their club and pay £100 a YEAR and see what they say. NB: Gazidis’ £900,000 bonus from last year would buy 9,000 cheap Bayern season tickets. Or 90,000 match-day tickets priced as low as £10 each.

There is only a 3m difference in wage bills between the clubs, yet look at the gulf in class between their overall squads.

Bayern Munich - Everything that Arsenal could be.

 

Agree with almost everything you've said. Although come next year our revenue will likely be higher than Bayern Munichs.

 

Here's another one tbf:

European Cup/Champion League Finals:
Bayern: 9 Arsenal: 1

 

Well, they have Rummenige and we have Hill-Wood. What else can I say. Hill-Wood who had the nerve to say in front of the camera than he would stay as AFC chairman unltill he is completely senile.

 

There are a few thing to consider here tho, Munich new stadium was part of the German world cup bid in 2006, so does anyone know if they got any funding or preferential deals regarding land and conditions when building the new stadium?

The second one is that Munich are the biggest team in their country by a long way, this helps achieve things like sponsorship, and helps to increase fan base. Also there are no sugar daddy teams in germany, Munich know that if they spend within their means they will be the top spenders in germany, even if arsenal spent all their profits they could still easily be beaten by city and Chelsea. They are essentially the man u of Germany. Just a few things to consider when comparing us to Munich.

 

Bayern have football people on their board, we have PR men. That's the difference.

 

Not just Arsenal, there are a lot of things most clubs could learn from Bayern. All round they are arguably the best run top club in europe and clearly give a **** about their fans, which seems a strange premise these days.

 

Bayern are the Manchester United of Germany and have first pick of any German player. If a player wants to play in Germany, Munich are the club that gets them. Comparing them to Arsenal would only be fair if the other top 6 or so clubs in England didn't exist.

 

It's a bit harsh to blame Ivan Gazidis for the lack of cheap standing tickets at Arsenal, seeing as all Premier League stadia must be all-seater.

 

That's it I am supporting BM.

 

why going too far when you have UTD? .. we are a club who live by our means and generate constantly big profits and we are pro FFP ..

 

I can just go along with this. You were a bit late to the party and have some whopping debts and there is a feeling that the FFP calls are a bit like an 11th hour confession from a sinner, but you can just about stagger up to the moral high ground.

 

the debt is bcz of Glazers .. they actually took 575m out of the club till now and still the club balancing its book with huge profits.. not a penny of our debt money went to buying players .. it is the inverse , going to owners pockets which is frustrating..

 

This!! I have said it so many times bar Bayern Utd are the best run club in the world they would have passed FPP with flying colours any time in the last 20 years people make a stupid assumption Man Utd Spend money and have ownership debt therefore they are like city/chelsea. Hell Real and Barca are worse run than UTD. Don't like the club because of rivalry and all but can never fault them for the way they are run.

 

that
yes UTD spend alot but spend reasonably, we don't have a sugar daddy here ... and tbh yes Galzers put us in this stupid debt just so they can afford to buy the club but since they put the debt on the club that mean basically they bought us using our own money !! surrealistic really )
having said so, Galzers did lots of good work for UTD, especially in the marketing area which made us overall generate 85m for UTD last season more than Arsenal (despite we finished that season trophyless and knocked out at early stages in CL). Glazers knows that to keep fans buying UTD shirts and attracting best sponsorship they must keep the club successful

 

I'm sure Bayern also share the stadium with 1860

 

Yes Bayern share the stadium with 1860 Munich perhaps we should do the same with another smaller North London Club

 

fair comment

 

...and still they paid 35 ml for the Spanish midfielder when they decided that he was the right guy.

 

Dortmund are an even better example. Their net spend over the last 3 years is something like £5m. They have the largest kop end in football and engage their community (Dortmund is the poorer part of the area). The team and club represent the fans. Why is there net spend so low? Because they SCOUT talent properly.