Interview: China remains one of Bayern’s most important markets, says club official

by Liu Yang, Yuan Hengrui and Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — Bayern Munich’s executive vice chairman Michael Diederich has highlighted China’s role as one of the most important markets for the German record champions.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, 59-year-old Diederich, also the club’s CFO, stated that the Bavarians will maintain their presence in China and continue intensive collaborations with Chinese football and partners.
“We have great interest in China and its football as we constantly investigate international markets for new talents,” Diederich said.
With the last annual summer tour to China taking place in 2017, Bayern expects its World Squad youth program to visit China in 2025.
“I remember it was 2017 when I attended the summer tour in China, which I enjoyed a lot. At that point, I was a member of the supervisory board and joined as a partner the tour in China. We have plans to go there next year with the world youth soccer team,” said Diederich.
Bayern will move its Shanghai office to a new site soon in November, and Diederich will pay his second visit to Shanghai this year.
“We have colleagues over there. The last time I visited them was in April,” said Diederich. “China is a very important market for us, and we are taking care of that.”
Bayern signed Chinese goalkeeper Liu Shaoziyang in December 2021 and loaned him to Austrian Bundesliga club Klagenfurt in 2022. Liu was permanently transferred to Austrian second-division club SV Horn in 2024, with a contract until 2026.
Bayern’s sporting leaders, such as board member Max Eberl, sporting director Christoph Freund, and head of the youth academy Jochen Sauer, see great potential in the young goalkeeper.
“It is common to loan players to other clubs if we want to give them the chance to get more time on the pitch,” Diederich explained, as Bayern continues its interest in scouting young talents in China.
“We are looking for talents around the globe. If there is someone from China, we would be happy to take more,” he added.
Speaking of the club’s management, especially on healthy growth and development, the club official outlined three pillars to explain the club’s long-term success: sporting competitiveness, financial stability, and social responsibility.
“We only spend what we earn with our partners or through merchandising. That is the financial stability part. We want to win as many titles as possible and to bear our social responsibility. We need to keep them in balance, and that’s part of our club’s DNA,” Diederich remarked.
The Bundesliga giants had claimed league titles for a record 11 consecutive seasons before losing it to Leverkusen last season.
Diederich is optimistic that Bayern is on the way to returning to sporting success this season. With new coach Vincent Kompany and a re-launched squad, the 2020 treble winner achieved a favorable start in the current campaign, sitting at the top of the table.
“We are confident we will cross the finish line in the national campaign as the first,” the official said. “To win as many titles as possible remains a major goal.” ■