Surprise return planned
Former Bayern boss Oliver Kahn wants to become a club owner
Before FC Bayern Munich's lucky championship in May 2023, Oliver Kahn has to pack his bags as CEO. The separation is spectacular. Now the ex-keeper is planning his return. It couldn't get any less spectacular.
Around 15 months after his departure as CEO of German record champions Bayern Munich, Oliver Kahn is thinking about returning to professional football as a club owner. “I'm working intensively on the topic of club investment. If everything fits together, I can imagine it very well,” said the former national team captain in an interview with “Kicker”.
“Investing in football is different than investing in a screw manufacturer. Football is about culture, identity and community,” said Kahn, explaining his ambitions: “As a very entrepreneurial person, I like to drive things forward that don't necessarily have anything to do with football “But ultimately football is my DNA.”
That's why Kahn didn't stop thinking about football in the months after he left Munich. He needed a bit of distance, but then he began his travels. “I was in the USA, Saudi Arabia or India to get an idea of football there,” he said. His trip to Saudi Arabia in October 2023 in particular attracted attention. At that time he had already explained that the world was “a little more complicated” than some people make it out to be. “It's not just black and white,” explained Kahn, who had already supported Saudi Arabia in training its goalkeepers in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.
What Oliver Kahn can learn from David Beckham
However, the commitments of former world-class opponents are now also inspiration for his future plans. “When I see that Gerard Piqué has just collected 60 million euros from investors for his 'Kings League', it's remarkable,” Kahn gave an example and also David Beckham's stint as boss of the US team Inter Miami with superstar Lionel Messi possible mission statement: “His commitment shows that a strong combination of investment and sports expertise can bring many advantages for a club.”
Kahn also advocates a less dogmatic approach to limiting the influence of investors in German football and the 50+1 rule. The construct is “ultimately a compromise that is tolerated but can be challenged at any time,” said Kahn. The exceptions raise the question of equal competition.
Taking on a role in the operational business of a club is currently not an issue for the former world-class goalkeeper. “I'm not thinking about that at the moment.” The separation from Bayern in the early summer of 2023 has been dealt with, Kahn assured: “Something like that is part of this business.”
It doesn't work without a tip against Nagelsmann
At that time, the resignation of current national coach Julian Nagelsmann also played a role in the separation. The 37-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the home European Championship a good year after his exit from the record champions. There the DFB team failed unfortunately against eventual European champions Spain. “The German team is internationally competitive,” said Kahn appreciatively.
“Julian did a very good job. It didn't surprise me that he conveyed his fearless, offensive style to his team. He put together the right squad and made his role clear to each player in advance,” explained Kahn.
When asked about the line-up that Nagelsmann had already corrected at half-time in the defeat against Spain, the former captain of the DFB team couldn't resist making a small comment. “Whoever gets Julian Nagelsmann as coach has to know what he's doing. Things like that against Spain are always possible,” he said with a laugh.
