Free Web NovelChapter 508: Chapter 103: Bayern’s Internal Strife, Surpassing Ronaldo, Dortmund’s Strategic Opportunity, The Biggest Sponsorship Deal in History
Especially Wang Shuo.
"You were affected by injuries as well," Laubal replied politely.
Injuries?
Hennes didn’t see it that way.
The injuries to Ribery and Robben had certainly been a huge blow to Bayern.
But the chaos in the team’s locker room had an even greater impact.
Sometimes, results can be very deceiving.
Take last season, for example.
In Van Gaal’s first season as coach, they won the DFB-Pokal and were runners-up in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. A pretty impressive record, wasn’t it?
But what was the reality?
Van Gaal had never managed to get the locker room in order.
Besides, with Van Gaal’s foul temper, his conflicts with the management were incessant.
Dortmund was currently on a roll, and the club was brimming with ambition.
It was also interesting that both head coach Klopp and the player Wang Shuo had once been intricately linked with Bayern.
In fact, they were both prime targets that Bayern had let slip through their fingers.
’They must be kicking themselves now.’
After Hennes left early, Laubal chuckled.
The last time he’d felt this satisfied was back in the 90s, when Heynckes was coaching Dortmund.
But it wasn’t long before Heynckes was poached by Bayern, where he went on to single-handedly build their dynasty.
"They know football too well," Watzke remarked with a sigh.
Laubal mulled over Watzke’s words and couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
"Yes, they really do know it too well."
Just how well did the Bayern top brass know football?
From Beckenbauer to Rummenigge to Hennes, and even down to the rest of the senior management, every single one of them was a club legend or a decorated veteran.
As a result, they knew the ins and outs of professional football like the back of their hands.
Hennes, in particular, had long controlled Bayern’s sporting affairs. You could say he ran the whole show.
He would even sit next to the head coach or on the bench during matches.
And it wasn’t just during matches; Hennes was also a frequent sight on the training ground.
Any fan who has toured Bayern’s headquarters on Sebena Avenue would know that the training grounds are right behind the administrative building.
Far too close!
When results were good, everyone praised this arrangement, seeing it as a positive because the management knew their football.
But what about when conflicts arose?
A major reason Van Gaal was so controversial from the moment he took over at Bayern was that the Dutchman refused to put up with Hennes.
This led to Nillinger’s appointment as the team’s sporting director, a move made to divide Hennes’s authority.
After that, the man sitting on the bench and showing up at the training ground was Nillinger.
Even though it was Nillinger instead of Hennes, the coach was still being watched.
And with Van Gaal’s pride and arrogance, could he possibly tolerate that?
So, when it came to meddling, there was really no difference between an expert and a layman.
Sometimes, an expert’s interference is even more infuriating!
"In a sense, Van Gaal is the most powerful head coach in Bayern’s history—even more so than Heynckes."
Laubal understood Bayern’s current situation better than anyone, as he had been in his role for a very long time.
Heynckes never actually had that much power; his role was more advisory.
That’s because he was on excellent personal terms with both Hennes and Rummenigge.
But Van Gaal had real power.
Take the signing of Robben, for example.
Signing Robben represented a strategic shift in Bayern’s team building, moving toward a winger-focused tactical system.
But for that very reason, Van Gaal was now in a most awkward position.
Because even Robben, whose signing he had personally championed, was now at odds with him.
To say nothing of players like Gomez and Ribery.
"Hennes and Rummenigge are good friends personally. Right now, they’re in a state of conflict without a complete rupture. They’re just getting on each other’s nerves. Once they readjust to their new power boundaries, things will slowly stabilize," Watzke said with a laugh.
And this period before Bayern stabilized was a strategic window of opportunity for Dortmund.
This was why Laubal, Watzke, and the others had taken a huge gamble on Wang Shuo and signed several other players over the summer.
As it turned out, their gamble had paid off!
Dortmund had started the new season with unstoppable momentum, and their form was red-hot.
Wang Shuo, in particular, was simply unstoppable!
And the root of Bayern’s internal "conflict" lay in Beckenbauer’s retirement from his official duties.
Bayern’s management structure is quite interesting. The core leadership is roughly divided among the FC Bayern club, the FC Bayern AG Executive Board, and the FC Bayern AG Supervisory Board.
It’s a management model of interlocking and mutual oversight.
The Executive Board is responsible for all of Bayern’s daily operations and international business, including player transfers, contract renewals, and so on.
The Club President and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board are typically the same person, responsible for overseeing the Executive Board.
They even have the power to dismiss the Chairman of the Executive Board.
Ever since Bayern’s corporatization in ’02 and the establishment of the Supervisory Board, Beckenbauer had held both key positions of Club President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, making him the highest authority at Bayern.
In the past, Hennes had always been the Vice President and General Manager, primarily handling sporting affairs.
Rummenigge, on the other hand, was Chairman of the Executive Board, with full responsibility for the club’s day-to-day operations.
This triumvirate had coexisted peacefully for many years.
But recently, Beckenbauer retired. He was promoted to Honorary President of Bayern and no longer participates in concrete matters.
Hennes, meanwhile, first joined the Supervisory Board. After Beckenbauer stepped down, he took over the Football Emperor’s mantle, assuming the dual roles of Club President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
And just like that, a rather large problem arose.
Previously, Hennes and Rummenigge had been on more or less equal footing, with Hennes perhaps even holding a slightly subordinate position.
