Some commentators think that Bayern Munich are currently the strongest team in Europe. Certainly, their recent mauling of Arsenal would point in that direction.
Some commentators think that Bayern Munich are currently the strongest team in Europe. Certainly, their recent mauling of Arsenal would point in that direction.
In any event, they are arguably the leading force in German football. This interesting blog post attempts to explain why. A key factor appears to be powerful sponsors, but other cities in Germany are as prosperous as Munich but seem to lack the same links. A possible explanation is the role of Adidas who own eight per cent of the shares in Bayern Munich.
The writer also attempts to link the discussion to three worlds of football capitalism, reflecting the academic ‘varieties of capitalism’ literature. I have to admit that I am something of a sceptic about this literature, an argument I have developed elsewhere. I think that its analytic power is more limited than its proponents claim and its normative effects can be damaging: it was the book that most influenced Ed Miliband.