Football has to be rational – Rummenigge expects transfer market to change post-coronavirus
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists football must "become more rational" due to the financial impact of coronavirus.
After an enforced two-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bundesliga returned in May, with Europe's other top-five major leagues – with the exception of Ligue 1, which opted to cancel the remainder of its season – resuming in June.
Bayern have recorded eight straight league victories since the campaign restarted and wrapped up their eighth successive Bundesliga title last title last week, with Hansi Flick's side taking on Wolfsburg in their last match of the top-flight season on Saturday before they face Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal final.
Rummenigge believes the Bundesliga provided the perfect example of how to restart football safely behind closed doors, though he is expecting the European game – especially in relation to big-money transfers – to change drastically.
"Football has to try to become a bit more rational in order to be more stable for future crises," Rummenigge, who had previously revealed Bayern would be cautious with their transfer policy over coming seasons, told Handelsblatt.
"In the past 10 years, with this ever-higher-ever-further-ever-faster sums for player transfers and player salaries, football has shot a long way past the goal.
"This can no longer be called rational. That filled every summer break. We have to find better solutions in Europe."
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Rummenigge is not convinced, however, that the introduction of a salary cap would be a feasible option, instead preferring more stringent Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
"The legal requirements probably do not allow this [a salary cap]," he said.
"No, we need more rationality, and we have to develop FFP in Europe more rigorously with clear, key figures. Originally, it was always about not spending more money than is earned."
Rummenigge also added it was crucial to get football back up and running once the worst of the crisis was over.
"Football had no special position, but the Bundesliga was very disciplined," he said.
"There were some politicians who barely missed a chance to criticise the Bundesliga. It would be nice and decent if you could hear a turn now.
"Because as you can see, everything went well. Millions of fans in Germany are happy weekend after weekend that football can at least be seen on TV again. There were no problems. Many international leagues have followed the German example."