The Bundesliga: The best league in the world?

Dortmund supporters before a Bundesliga match

Higher attendances, less debt, and more exciting competition. The arguments of those who relentlessly promote the Bundesliga Way of Life are fast becoming clichéd. Perhaps, though, the cynics should lend a reluctant ear.

Last week, German football bi-weekly “kicker” dedicated a two page spread to why the Bundesliga was the best league competition in Europe. They compared certain figures with those of the domestic leagues in England, Spain and Italy and found – surprise, surprise – that Germany was the best place to come for entertainment. Four champions in the last seven years, one point between the current top four and average attendances of over ten thousand more fans than the Premier League. There’s very little to complain about, is there?

Certainly not for the carefully selected endorsers quoted in the article in question. Louis van Gaal once said that the Bundesliga is the most difficult league to compete in, and a certain Raúl Gonzalez has lauded the “great atmosphere – no matter where you’re playing”.

As hosts of English fans are no doubt clamouring to protest though, it is the Bundesliga’s impotence in Europe which has singled it out from the smug triumvirate. Since FC Bayern in 2001, Germany has produced not a single European Champion. What’s more, it has only just managed to overtake a scandal plagued Serie A in the co-efficient rankings, and reclaim its fourth Champions League spot.

So when Matthias Sammer says that “one team in the European elite isn’t enough”, he probably has a point. Even Bayern have had to make do with dipping in and out of the shallow end when it comes to European domination in recent years. Sammer feels the need for two or three German clubs to establish themselves at the pinnacle of the European game, before the Bundesliga can truly declare itself the Best.

But is this sentiment not just a little naïve? Does the lovable old East German not realise that by establishing major European powers, you sacrifice the domestic competitiveness of which the Bundesliga is so proud?

Certainly it seems clear that to dominate Europe one must also dominate one’s league. The one hole in the competitiveness argument is that, while the League in general is as predictable as the lottery, there is always one certainty: Bayern will be somewhere near the top, if not crowing happily in their familiar first place. Should one of the upcoming teams – namely Dortmund – begin to challenge Bayern year in year out, they would have to take a significant step away from the rest of the league. Duopolies aren’t competitive. They are fiery and entertaining – just ask Pepe – but they don’t quite follow the egalitarian spirit. If a third team were to rise to become a major power, then the effect would be much the same. The Champions League places would be predetermined, and the quality of the entertainment would get ever lower.

What Germany needs is not a few extra superpowers made in the image of FC Bayern. What it needs is for its financial prudence to be rewarded. What Europe and the Champions League needs is for good football, and not efficient exploitation of fans, to be the harbinger of prized silverware.

Clubs like Barcelona and Bayern make half a case for that kind of idealism when they succeed in Europe, but it remains an unconvincing one, given the amount they still spend on players. Leagues and clubs must stop relying on the boom and bust theory to grant them short term success. They must look to 50+1. They must look to equality. They must look to Germany. It’s a cliché, but it’s one worth listening to.

Picture:Getty Images

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• roysavage

  To be honest I wish we had won as many world cups  and european as the Germans and less european cups. The German league, not really interested to be honest their top teams are not in the same league as ours here, a lot more equality but not much quality either.

• http://twitter.com/grafzahl2010 Graf Zahl

  The EPL hasn’t won much in the last 20 years either in UCL, and think about if the final 1999 would just had 2minutes extra time maybe Bayern would have won it = Bundesliga 3CL EPL 2CL  or do you care about how many quarterfinals???

• http://twitter.com/grafzahl2010 Graf Zahl

   and remember the Bundesliga just started 1963 germany had no nationwide football league, because after the war etc… So germany had other problems the 10,15 years after 1945, and Liverpool,Manchester United won some in that time… And today i dont think that a Manchester United that had to bring back Scholes or an Manchester City that just crashed out against Bayern, is realy that strong. Because young stars like Marco Reus,Patrick Herrmann,Ter Stegen etc.(Mönchengladbach) are realy underrated. And Dortmund had a ton of injuries. beside that they played extreme inexperienced. But again Manchester United and Manchester City not covered themselves in glory this year in UCL. atleast for Dortmund it was realy for all beside(the Goalkeeper) there first ever international competition unlike the City Players. but still i think this year is just very weak from the EPL, let’s see next year if the Bundesliga will have 4CL spots.

• http://twitter.com/grafzahl2010 Graf Zahl

  Real Madrid is the most successful club in the UCL but why, they have no central marketing and that’s why Barca&Real Madrid kill there domestic league, but ofcourse they do it for there Country&League(atleast 4 UCL spots). So if they would start with central marketing the League would become stronger in competition but LaLiga less successful in UCL and less people would watch it, the Bundesliga is a great League but still doesnt get the deserved recognition. remember EPL is a league with very high competition but just won the UCL 3times, BL2times and the one time was damn close(Manchester United VS Bayern München), and what is the most successful league in UCL? one that is absolutely no fun2watch because there are 2teams that rich that they are even in there own league financialy international yes even against EPL clubs. It shouldnt be rewarded from the UCL that a League is a 1 or 2 horse race! but maybe they want anyway a SUPERLEAGUE instead this many domestic leagues… @roysavage:disqus  the german clubs are stronger now because the youth system is realy top and they can get these players relatively cheap compared to british players.(Andy Carroll 40Mil€ Marco Reus 17.5Mil€ clubs like dortmund,schalke,gladbach,leverkusen,wolfsburg could easily also buyed Papiss Cisse for 12mil€ but there was just no need right now for a striker.)And don’t forget EPL clubs are now weaker as they were! i dont mean Manchester City but Manchester United Glazers want 2 make profits and J.Henry(LFC) also! that’s why he buyed the club because FFP. yes also because FFP stuff like Chelsea did will not be that easy in the future(it didnt work out that great anyway).

• http://twitter.com/grafzahl2010 Graf Zahl

   Ok sorry it was for some the 2nd year in international competition but the first in UCL.