Club World Cup: Bayern Munich No New Signings
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, a member of the board of directors of German club Bayern Munich, announced on Wednesday that his first football team will not make any new signings before participating in the Club World Cup.
The expanded tournament will begin on June 14 in the United States, and FIFA has amended the transfer window rules to allow the signing of new players for the tournament. However, Bayern Munich has decided to wait until after the tournament to register any new signings.
The former Bayern CEO told Sport Bild: "The club will not buy any additional players for the Club World Cup."
The revamped tournament will be held every four years and will feature 32 teams instead of seven.
Bayern Munich qualified for the tournament by winning the Champions League in 2020 and is set to receive a participation fee of more than €25 million.
The money and subsequent bonuses will certainly be helpful, but Rummenigge said that replacing the Confederations Cup with an expanded Club World Cup puts Bayern Munich on a whole new level.
He added: "Now our international players will play in the United States, but in a Bayern Munich jersey, and we are appropriately rewarded for that. Changing the tournament format raises the tournament to a whole new level."
He added: "Money also played a role. There's no need to make a big deal out of it, but what's much more important is that we've changed the tournament format. The Bundesliga is the basis for qualifying for the Champions League, which is the cherry on top of the cake, and it takes on even greater sporting significance because it qualifies you for the Club World Cup."