Former Bayern Munich chief exec Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has taken aim at Barcelona over their financial problems.
Bayern host Barca tomorrow night in the Champions League.
Rummenigge told AS: “Barça had been a benchmark for a long time, a model for us to follow. I have often discussed it with Uli Hoeness. Unfortunately, that has changed a bit in recent years. That crazy game in Lisbon (8-2) was already a sign. We were quite nervous earlier, expecting a close game. On the way back, we sat on the bus and drank beer. It looked like a movie. We all hope that the sensations the next day will still be as beautiful as they were then.
“Barcelona was a role model for La Masía. Then it hit the jackpot with Lionel Messi, who raised the entire club to another level. Unfortunately, the ravages of time also took their toll on him and, in addition, the club was in serious financial trouble.
“I know Joan Laporta very well. He rejected a new start based on patience and preferred a faster one. Now, at least he was able to show that the team he has just built is once again a force to be reckoned with.
“I know Joan, he is a born optimist. However, I am convinced that he is now the right person to take the helm. He knows the club like nobody else, he was part of the golden age with Pep. And, to be honest, finances don’t have such a big weight in Spain as they do here. If the sports performance is adequate, everything ends up being solved in some way. The clocks go different there. With the more than one billion euros of debt that is being talked about, he would have spent many nights without falling asleep.”
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann has stated he doesn’t understand how Barca could buy last summer given their financial issues.
But Rummenigge says: “In general, I usually recommend: shoe rack, for your shoes. Julian shouldn’t make political statements, that’s up to Oliver Kahn and Herbert Hainer. In fact, they returned the ball from Spain. I think it’s always best to stick to your own area of expertise.
“They had to take a new path in Barcelona. They transferred a lot of income from the future to the present in order to undertake transfers. Barcelona was always an important club for football in Europe.”
