‘If you had a balance sheet which shows a £100m debt, something is wrong’ - Bayern Munich's Christian Nerlinger blasts Chelsea & Manchester City

EXCLUSIVE

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Bayern Munich are set to play the Indian national team in an exhibition match on January 10 in what will be a farewell game for Bhaichung Bhutia.

Ahead of the tie, Christian Nerlinger, the general manager of the German giants, shares his thoughts on Financial Fair Play, India, and his team's goals for this season in an exclusive interview.

Bayern Munich In India Indian icon Bhaichung Bhutia bids his farewell Click here for more

Question: You have recently got an extension from Bayern Munich. How do you see it and what are your future goals with the club in the coming years?

Nerlinger: Yeah, it's one thing to sign a contract as sports director for Bayern Munich after Uli Hoeness and the other thing is to extend it. So this means that the people are quite happy and satisfied with the work I’m doing. And of course for me, it’s fantastic that I can continue my work here at Bayern Munich and we want to stay as the most successful club in Germany. We want to win titles. Our goal is also to play an important role in Europe. I think already this season we have a team that can win the Champions League and this is, of course, one of the biggest goals we have.

Question: Bayern Munich are financially the most stable and profitable club in Europe. Do you see Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) strengthening Bayern Munich’s position in Europe? And in that connection, what kind of effect will it have on the other big European giants?

Nerlinger: I hope that the Financial Fair Play comes and plays an important role in the future. Because you can see it now as well in the European Union when there are no rules, no financial rules, then everything breaks down. I think it’s very dangerous that big clubs are dependent on one person that provides them with the money and that’s why Financial Fair Play must play an important role in international football. It’s the easiest economic rule: Don’t spend more than you earn. This is something that certainly all clubs need to follow.

Walk Of Champions | Work without debts

Question: You recently criticised the transfer policy of big spending clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City. Where do you think they are actually going wrong?

Nerlinger: First of all, they are dependent on one person that provides them with the money. If you had a balance sheet which shows €125 million [£100m] in debts, then something is going in the wrong direction. I think then it is absolutely necessary to change things.

Question: Bayern are looking at foreign markets to promote the sport of football, the club – FCB as a brand. Why India and how important are the partners for this?

Nerlinger: It is very important to have strong partners. Our partners – Audi, Allianz, Adidas and Lufthansa, they all are interested in the Indian market, which is emerging and very important for them and for us as well. We had great experiences a few years ago when Bayern Munich travelled to Calcutta for the farewell game of Oliver Kahn. We had 125,000 in the stadium, 50, 000 waiting outside. So there was a great enthusiasm, great sympathies and of course, this is also a big motivation for us to come again to India.

Question: Bayern Munich have been coming to India for six years. What is it that Bayern Munich can do to promote football in India? If you had some suggestions to make for football in India to grow and the standard of football in India to grow, what would they be?

Nerlinger: Well, first of all, I would say infrastructure. Build an infrastructure where you can develop and educate young and interesting football players. Try to create an enthusiasm for young boys to play football. To play football with passion and then bring them to an infrastructure and structure, so that you can develop their capacities. And I think this is the most important thing.