- Bayern's board of directors with a lead against champion Leverkusen
FC Bayern Munich's Chief Financial Officer, Michael Diederich, would have liked to see German champions Bayer Leverkusen join them on an international trip this summer. "It would have been nice if the champion had also joined the trip. It should be in everyone's interest to fly the flag for German football internationally. That goes for all clubs," he told the "Munich Mercury" and "tz" (Wednesday).
The Munich team is embarking on a six-day trip to South Korea on Wednesday. Diederich criticized the lack of international presence of the Bundesliga clubs. "We need to internationalize if we want to remain successful. We're doing our part, as are our colleagues from Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, and RB Leipzig. But out of 36 clubs, that's only six. That's still not enough. Our appeal to the league and the clubs is clear: Show yourselves internationally!" the official said.
Diederich was unclear about the FC Bayern's destination for next summer, but he stated, "We won't be doing any country-hopping. You have to consistently play the markets you've defined, like the FC Bayern has been doing for years. Just visiting once and saying the market is now conquered is too simplistic. That wouldn't do justice to the fans there."
The Munich team's trip to South Korea this week is an opportunity to showcase their soccer skills internationally. Diederich expressed his hope that more Bundesliga clubs, such as Bayer Leverkusen, would join them in promoting German soccer abroad.
