Liverpool can forget about winning the League unless UEFA change finance rules, insists Bundesliga chief

Posted Thursday, May 23, 2013 by

Clubs such as Liverpool will struggle to ever win their national league again unless UEFA changes how it distributes the huge financial benefits of the competition, the head of the Bundesliga has claimed.

Two German clubs - Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund - are contesting the Champions League final on Saturday but Christian Seifert, the Bundesliga chief executive, believes that UEFA need to spread the rewards more broadly.

Seifert fears that those financial rewards will continue to grow - and go straight to the top clubs and further distort national competitions.

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He told a briefing in London: 'Money coming out of the Champions League is an enormous influence - in Germany it is double the money from the national media contract.

'I think UEFA need to think again how they distribute the money from the Champions League and Europa League because each country needs an attractive national competition and not just two teams dominating.

'Without a doubt it has an impact. If the money of the Champions League gets more and more and the gap gets bigger and bigger then of course it’s probably not the best thing for national competition

'When I grew up one of the greatest teams was Liverpool. I’m not sure if they have the chance ever to win the Premier League again.

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'Because they have to compete with clubs who have a lot more financial opportunities like Man City and Chelsea plus money that comes from the Champions League. It’s something you have to have in mind when you want to have a certain balance in between the league.'

The German top flight is viewed by many as a model league - 14 out of 18 clubs were in profit last season, 60 per cent of the players are eligible to play for Germany, youth academies are obligatory and highly-developed and ticket prices are considerably lower than the Premier League. Adult prices are as low 13 euros (£11) and average 23 euros (£20), and there are strict rules on ownership.

Attendances are booming and German clubs are held up as an example of how safe standing areas can work, and a Champions League winner this season is assured.

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Seifert insisted however that there was work still to be done.

He added: 'We are proud to have two teams in the final but it doesn’t mean we have 18 teams on the level. For 10 years the discussion has been why we have no chance to win the Champions League.

'You can’t say ‘wow - look what we have achieved’, but in the last few years we have done more right than wrong.'