1、German football success发布时间：2012-05-16文章出自：经济学人中文原文链接：点击查看May 16th 2012, 14:55 by I.M.FOOTBALL matches pitting English against German teams are inevitably depicted as a clash between Anglo-Saxon resolve and Teutonic efficiency. But the contrast between Englands Chelsea and Germanys Bayern Munich (pi
2、ctured), set to meet on May 19th in the Champions League final, is stronger off the pitch than on it. Bankrolled by Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, Chelsea has spent millions in its determination to win Europes most prestigious club competition, racking up losses of nearly 68m ($108m) last
3、financial year. By comparison, Bayern Munich, which made a profit of 1.3m ($1.65m) over the same period, is a model of prudence.The difference says a lot about the respective domestic leagues in which the teams compete. Chelsea is just one of several lavish spenders in the English Premier League. Si
4、nce the Abu Dhabi United Group took over Manchester City in 2008, the clubs fiscal extravagance has lifted it to the summit of the table (it won the Premiership last weekend). But profligacy has hit others hard. Portsmouth dropped out of the league after going bankrupt in 2010. That would be unlikel
5、y to happen in the German Bundesliga, whose strict cost controls prevent clubs from overspending.Spending limits only partly explain why the Bundesliga is flourishing next to Europes other domestic leagues, according to Emmanuel Hembert of A.T. Kearney, a consultancy, who co-authored a paper in 2010
6、 examining the Bundesligas strengths. A new deal with Sky, a broadcaster, has buoyed the revenues clubs make from the media. Revenues from deals with commercial sponsors are healthy, too. And Germanys excellent youth academies are churning out skillful players, meaning clubs do not have to spend mil
7、lions in the transfer market in their pursuit of glory. The Bundesliga is showing Europes other domestic leagues that success on the pitch does not have to come at a crippling price.Even so, other leagues cannot easily copy this system. While Sky dominates Englands broadcasting sector, fierce compet
8、ition for the Bundesliga rights drove up the price it eventually paid to renew them. Thanks to the 1.4 billion investment German authorities made in expanding stadiums for the 2006 World Cup, Bundesliga clubs have been able to increase their matchday revenues. In England, where big clubs own their o
9、wn facilities, there is no comparable public-sector assistance. The decentralisation of the German economy has also helped clubs throughout the country to form commercial partnerships. With a shortage of strong businesses outside Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, most clubs in France and Spain have limit
10、ed local-sponsorship opportunities.Not everyone is keen on cost controls, either. Leagues in both Germany and France demand oversight of financial accounts to make sure clubs are not being reckless. Authorities can prohibit transfer activity or relegate teams as punishment for breaching regulation.
11、Mr Hembert says the system in both leagues is more stringent than the financial fair play rules proposed by FIFA, footballs governing body, designed to curb spending by clubs competing in European competitions from next year. Yet FIFAs scheme would run into serious opposition in the Premiership, whe
12、re there is less appetite for regulation, despite Portsmouths bankruptcy. Even in the Bundesliga, there is resistance to the rule that prevents one person from owning more than 49% of a club. That restriction is intended as a safeguard against ruinous megalomaniacs, but Hannover 96, a Bundesliga sid
13、e, believes it curtails investment and stops the league from realising its full potential.Nevertheless, the Bundesliga has displayed a commercial nous not always evident in European football. The most intense competition over screening rights would not have persuaded Sky to pay 486m a year for them,
14、 compared with 250m under its previous deal, unless German football had promoted an attractive brand. Instead of squandering money in transfer markets, German clubs now invest nearly 100m a year in academies (incidentally boosting Germanys chances of World Cup success). By contrast, Spanish clubs no
15、t subject to cost controls continue to run up massive debts despite having successful youth programmes of their own. Nor have the supporters who own Barcelona shown much aptitude for business. Their objection to the use of a sponsors logo on the clubs shirt, out of respect for a tradition dating bac
16、k 100 years, may have cost Barcelona up to 30m annually in pure profit. Long-standing opposition to any increase in the price of tickets may be just as naive.The Bundesliga is far from perfect. According to Mr Hembert, footballs overriding problem is the lack of a sensible revenue-sharing system tha
17、t rewards players and owners as well as covering operational costs. While popular American sports cap player salaries, the rise in footballers wages is now threatening the very survival of Europes oldest clubs. The bankruptcy this year of Scotlands Rangers, a very big team in one of Europes smallest
18、 leagues, is a worrying harbinger. Chelsea might win this years Champions League, but its fortunes are tied too closely to those of Mr Abramovich for its own good. Even if Bayern Munich loses on May 19th, its fans may have greater cause for optimism.It would be sad if Obama becomes the first one-term president in nearly 20 years, but it would be sadder if he keeps his job due to the lack of a competent rival, rather than his own merit.
