Former Bayern boss Oliver Kahn is aiming for an ownership role.
Before Bayern Munich’s triumphant title celebration in May 2023, Oliver Kahn said goodbye as CEO in dramatic fashion. Now the former goalkeeper is thinking about a spectacular comeback.
More than a year and a half after his resignation as CEO of German football giant Bayern Munich, Oliver Kahn is considering a return to football, this time as a club owner. “I am deeply involved in the topic of club investments. If everything fits, I would not rule it out,” the former national team captain told “Kicker” in an interview.
“Investing in football is not the same as investing in a screw factory. It’s about culture, identity and community,” said Kahn, explaining his ambitions: “As a highly entrepreneurial person, I enjoy driving forward things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with football. But football is my genetic code.”
That’s why Kahn didn’t lose interest in football after Munich. He needed some distance, but then he started traveling. “I went to the USA, Saudi Arabia or India to get a feel for football there,” he said. His visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2023 made headlines at the time. He clarified at the time that the world was “a bit more complex” than some portrayed. “It’s not all black and white,” explained Kahn, who had already helped Saudi Arabia train goalkeepers before the 2018 World Cup.
The lessons Oliver Kahn can learn from David Beckham
For his future plans, Kahn also finds inspiration in the commitments of former world-class goalkeepers. “When I see that Gerard Piqué managed to raise 60 million euros from investors for his ‘Kings League’, that is impressive,” said Kahn as an example. He also admires the role of David Beckham as boss of the US team Inter Miami, with superstar Lionel Messi as a potential role model: “His commitment shows that a strong combination of investment and sporting know-how can bring numerous advantages for a club.”
Kahn also advocates a less rigid approach to limiting the influence of investors in German football and the 50+1 rule. The system is “ultimately a tolerated but constantly questioned compromise,” he said. The exceptions raise the question of fair competitiveness.
Taking on an operational role in a club business is not currently on Kahn’s agenda. “I’m not considering that at the moment,” he said. He has left Bayern in the early summer of 2023 behind him, Kahn assured: “Such events are part of the business.”
At the time, his resignation as current national team coach Julian Nagelsmann also played a role in his departure. The 37-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the home European Championship a year after leaving the record champions. There, the German team unfortunately lost to eventual European champions Spain. “The German team is international competition,” said Kahn respectfully.
“Julian did an excellent job. I was not surprised that he brought his bold, attacking style to his team. He also put together the right team and made sure that every player’s role was clearly defined beforehand,” explained Kahn. When asked about Nagelsmann’s corrected line-up at half-time in the match against Spain, the former captain of the German team could not help but laugh: “Anyone who hires Julian Nagelsmann as a coach knows what he is doing. Such situations like against Spain are always possible,” he said, laughing.
The Commission may have to reassess the 50+1 rule in German football due to Oliver Kahn’s ambitions to invest in a football club. Kahn’s admiration for David Beckham’s role in Inter Miami highlights the potential benefits of a strong investment and sporting expertise combination.
