Bayern Munich's Kasper Critiques Bundesliga Rivals for Staying Home
Rouven Kasper did not bother with diplomacy. On the eve of Bayern Munich’s latest money-spinning trip to Asia, the club’s marketing director turned his fire on the rest of the Bundesliga and accused them of thinking too small for a global game.
While the German champions packed their bags for their tenth summer tour of Asia, Kasper looked across the domestic landscape and saw empty departure boards.
“After the end of the season, Leipzig went on a tour abroad, and during this summer only Bayern Munich and Dortmund are touring the world, while Paderborn fly to the United States in September. This is far too little! Bundesliga clubs need to think more strategically,” he told Sky Sports.
In other words: Bayern and Dortmund are flying. Too many others are standing still.
Bundesliga left behind
Kasper’s warning comes against a backdrop the league can no longer ignore. German football’s international push lags badly behind its rivals, and the numbers tell a brutal story.
The Bundesliga currently pulls in around 218 million euros from international television rights, 302 million in total once sponsorships are included. The Premier League, by comparison, sits in another financial galaxy, drawing roughly ten times that figure. La Liga brings in around three times as much.
For Kasper, that gap is not an accident. It is the consequence of a mindset.
“The English travel the world, and that means the German clubs have to be proactive too. You cannot stay at home and then complain about declining revenues. If you do nothing, you will get nothing,” he said.
That line cuts to the heart of his argument. In his view, the Bundesliga cannot sell itself as a world product while behaving like a domestic one.
Shrinking screens, shrinking influence
The urgency is sharpened by a worrying trend in key overseas markets. German football is not just failing to grow in places such as the United States and Japan; its presence on screens there is actually receding.
“It is unfortunate that the decline in media revenues in countries such as the United States and Japan has become a reality, but this is an additional reason for the league association to work with us to find strategic mechanisms to boost activities, because Bayern Munich cannot travel everywhere on its own,” Kasper said.
The message is pointed. Bayern are prepared to lead, but they are not prepared to carry the entire league on their own backs. If the Bundesliga wants to be seen, it has to show up.
Bayern on the road again
As Kasper spoke, Bayern’s latest global push was already mapped out. The team heads first to Jeju Island in South Korea before moving on to Hong Kong, staying in Asia until 8 August.
Two friendlies anchor the schedule: Jeju SK on 4 August, then a higher-profile meeting with Aston Villa on 7 August. On paper, they are pre-season tune‑ups. In reality, they are travelling billboards for the Bundesliga’s most powerful brand.
For Bayern, these trips are no longer experiments. This is their tenth summer tour of Asia, a decade-long campaign to plant their flag in markets where the Premier League has been entrenched for years.
New frontiers: from India to South America
Kasper’s gaze stretches well beyond this tour. Bayern have already carved out a strong presence in North and Central America, but the club’s next phase targets regions where the Bundesliga’s footprint remains faint.
“Our target markets are clearly defined. In the two Americas, we have so far focused on North and Central America, but South America is becoming increasingly interesting. In Asia the matter is also clear, and we must turn our attention towards India, Indonesia and Thailand and undertake new ventures there,” he said.
Those are not casual mentions. India, Indonesia and Thailand offer vast, young fan bases and a voracious appetite for European football. South America, long dominated by Spanish and English clubs in the hearts of supporters, is another battleground Bayern want to enter more aggressively.
Kasper’s challenge to the rest of the Bundesliga is simple: follow us, or watch the gap grow.
