The spätzle one: German footballing efficiency

German efficiency. How many times have we heard this? From their famous Autobahn to their beloved black forest gateau. Efficiency has grown to become the universally agreed upon adjective when describing all things German. Since the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of East and West Germany, the country has thrived as economic leaders of Europe. Spend 24-hours in Deutschland and you’ll gather why ‘efficiency’ and Germany go hand in hand. Public transport runs like clockwork, every ice-cold pilsner you glug away at is as delicious as the next, Audi’s/Mercedes’/BMW’s some of the world’s most reliable vehicles all pass by. Germany are a proud nation with much to gloat about, but one field that is the envy of most is their dominance in the beautiful game.

Both prior and post the collapse of the Berlin wall Germany have excelled on football’s biggest stage. With three World Cup wins as West Germany and a fourth just six years ago, only Brazil (5) exceed the Germans for world titles. In the continental game just Real Madrid (13), AC Milan (7) and Liverpool (6) have picked up more European Cups than German giants Bayern Munich (5). As Gary Lineker perfectly summarised; ‘Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end of the day, the Germans always win’. Aside from their blatant superiority on the field, the DFB (Deutscher Fussball-Bund) or ‘German FA’ and its’ members have led the way in how the game of football should be structured and sold to the fans. 

For years the Bundesliga has been renowned for dirt cheap tickets. Both season tickets and individual match day permits make a mockery of English football’s astronomical asking prices. Up and down the divisions in Germany floods of crazed fans congregate in the stands, often displaying intimidating tifos and flares before their opposition. German crowds are amongst European football’s most animated, reasonable ticket prices allow this to happen. Clubs such as Union Berlin or second tier Dynamo Dresden, both formerly located in the more impoverished East Germany before reunification, almost have a duty to lower admission fees given the working-class background amongst most of their supporters. Even years after the Berlin wall toppled, social standards between the old East and West were quite contrasting. This season (2019/20) the most expensive Union Berlin season ticket sets you back €680, the lowest on offer in the Bundesliga. Of course, over 18,000 of the 22,000 capacity at Union’s Stadion An der Alten Forsterei is safe standing only. Even Leipzig, despite all their recent success, charge no more than €740 per season ticket. In most countries the cost of an annual pass usually rises with the stature of the club, the Bundesliga doesn’t quite follow this trend. Bayern Munich, the most decorated side in the land, offer a bargain at €765 per year. This works out at the equivalent to roughly £685 British Pounds. What can £685 buy you in the English Premiership? A year’s worth of football at Villa Park watching 19^th placed Aston Villa… In the nation’s capital, Berlin, a neutral supporter could pay €1429 (or £1282 GBP) for a season ticket at both Union and Hertha Berlin. In England’s capital of London, local Hammers can spend up to £1200 for a single season ticket. Literally a two for the price of one comparison. All figures mentioned above are the most expensive each club has to offer, but can the Premier League ever offer a better deal than the Bundesliga? Surprisingly, when digging into the numbers, fans of Manchester City can pay as low as £325 per year. A fantastic offer yes, but when compared to the Bundesliga’s best, German football lands yet again. Standing season tickets at 1^st place Bayern Munich and 2^nd place Borussia Dortmund can be purchased for €145 and €219 respectively. A combined total of €364 or £326 pounds sterling. It’s not even worth noting that the English Premiership hosts 20 clubs and the Bundesliga just 18, meaning season ticket holders in England do enjoy an extra two home games per year. A small bonus that doesn’t quite justify such a distinct price gap. Give them their due, the FA have taken criticism over ticket pricing on board and reduced the costs in recent years. In 2016/17 the Premier League agreed on a £30 cap for away matchday tickets. Since the agreement, an impressive 96% of away day tickets have been sold. Single matchday tickets are selling for an average price of £32 in England’s topflight whilst the Bundesliga average last season was just €15.20. When exchanged to our currency an average Bundesliga ticket costs a little over £13, the same amount my local club Brechin City FC (bottom of Scotland’s fourth tier) are asking for. German football’s ideology that the fans make football doesn’t stop at practical ticket prices. Several clubs have agreements with the regional railway company Deutsch-Bahn giving ticket holders free travel to and from the stadium. Supporters can enjoy 90 minutes of football and transport to the event for the price of a pre-match round at the local. A train ticket from Manchester to London can cost up to £90, throw in your £30 game ticket and you almost equal a season’s worth of safe standing at Bayern Munich’s breath-taking Allianz Arena.

            So how can they do it? Do the German clubs rake in big bucks from sponsorships and television rights to shave off ticket costs for its loyal supporters? Whilst the English Premiership do boast the most income in broadcasting rights, the Bundesliga aren’t miles behind. German football’s elite division are currently working inside a four-year €4.6billion TV deal with Sky Deutschland and Eurosport, broadcasting over 300 live matches per season between the two companies. Last year, the English Premier League negotiated the most lucrative deal in club football. A three-year agreement (one less than the current Bundesliga arrangement) with Sky Sports and BT Sport to show just under 200 live games for a total of £5 billion. The Premier League are earning more money, in a smaller time frame, for less matches. Hierarchy amongst Premier League clubs have no excuse for their exploitative attitude. Following their relegation in 2016/17 Sunderland earned more money finishing bottom of the league than Bayern Munich did for lifting the title. Despite the North East club featuring just 8 times on live tv, the Black-Cats banked £93 million pounds from the Premier League in ‘TV money’ and so-called ‘parachute payments’. Parachute payments are a series of cash injections delivered to recently relegated clubs which are intended to serve as a consolation for their troubles. From hosting the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool to (no disrespect) the likes of Barnsley and Luton Town, it’s a given that income via the turnstiles will take a hit.

            With all this added income, Premier League clubs in recent years have splashed cash like never seen before. The 2019 summer transfer window saw Premier League clubs spend a whopping £1.4 billion on permanent signings. Perhaps more astonishingly, newly promoted Aston Villa coughed up just over £144 million on new signings. Over in the Bundesliga, German clubs combined to spend half of England’s figure. €742 million euros (£672 million) amongst 18 teams. Champions Bayern Munich picked up two World Cup winning defenders, Benjamin Pavard (£31.5 million) and Lucas Hernandez (£72 million) as well as two others for £117 million total. Less than Villa’s summer recruitment. Perhaps the best example of this ‘English football added tax’ was displayed by Sheffield United, who signed Scotland international Oliver McBurnie from Swansea City of the English Championship for £17 million. In Bundesliga context, Borussia Dortmund snapped up 19-year-old goal machine Erling Haaland from RB Salzburg for just £1 million more.

            With the multi-billion-pound tv deal split amongst each Premier League member, homegrown talent has been neglected as sides look overseas for more established players. Last season just 30% of the league’s players qualified to play for the English national team. In Germany, where the money hasn’t replaced morals, just over 47% of the league can play for Germany if selected. Both countries have ‘homegrown talent’ rules in place so not to harm the national side. In England, it’s eight, Germany, twelve. Not a large difference but unfortunately for England supporters no such rule indicates these British born players must see the field of play. Money in the domestic league is clearly a hindrance on the national team’s fortunes. With so few English players taking to the pitch they aren’t developing at the same rate seen in Germany, Spain, Italy, France.

Domestic league	% of foreigners	2018 World Cup	2016     Euro’s	2014 World Cup	2012 Euro’s	2010 World Cup
England	70%	Semi-Final	Last 16	Group Stage	Quarter-Final	Last 16
France	46%	Winners	Runner-up	Quarter-Final	Quarter-Final	Group Stage
Germany	53%	Group Stage	Semi-Final	Winners	Semi-Final	Semi-Final
Italy	60%	---DNQ---	Quarter-Final	Group Stage	Runner-up	Group Stage
Spain	41%	Last 16	Last 16	Group Stage	Winners	Winners

            Of the ‘Big 5’ leagues in European football, England stand alone as the only national side not to reach a final in the last five tournaments. That 70% will haunt Gareth Southgate’s men until the Premier League begin to get their priorities in order.

            Another aspect of English football that I have longed to vanish from the calendar is the most pointless of competitions, the League Cup. Once upon a time in England the dominant cup competition, the FA Cup, was considered perhaps the greatest sporting event of the year. Families gathered together to watch the showpiece final at the famous Wembley Stadium. League titles are always the most coveted trophies out there, as it shows your dominance over 30+ games and not just four or five rounds of football, but the FA Cup has been almost completely neglected. Since the transition of Football League to Premier League in England the FA Cup has lost some of its appeal. With respect falling off the cup each year, the League Cup feels more and more irrelevant. In Germany, no such problem exists, there is no League Cup. Absence of a secondary cup puts more desire on the solitary knockout trophy on offer. This isn’t the only reason the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) comes with more credit to its name than the FA Cup in England. In the most unique structure in known cup competition, everyone starts from scratch. 64 teams kick off the competition. Each team in the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga as well as the top 4 sides in 3.Bundesliga. The remaining slots are handed to the winners of smaller regional cups from the previous year, known as Verbandspokale. With 24 amateur sides entering at the same stage as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and co, the DFB-Pokal really captures the magic of the cup. Just this week FC Saarbrucken hosted giants Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-final, becoming the first 4^th tier side to ever reach this stage of the competition. Unfortunately for the Saarbrucken faithful, the ongoing covid-19 pandemic denied the minnows from sharing the historic moment with their home support.  

            This past month of full Bundesliga coverage has given British supporters a peak into how the German’s conduct their business regarding the beautiful game. Although the stands are barren, the lack of atmosphere almost emphasises how special the German crowds are. That sort of ‘you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone’ nostalgia. With some insightful commentary and a little personal research in-between matches, the Bundesliga has been an eye-opener. Germany leads the way in how football should be presented to those who make the greatest difference… The fans! 

Danke Schon!