For nearly 10 years Borussia Dortmund were a major force in German and European football. In 1995, 1996 and 2002 they were Bundesliga champions and in 1997 Paul Lambert was part of the BVB side who lifted the Champions League – not bad for a side who could have been described as underwhelming prior to 1995.
Dortmund were not slow to show the extravagance that apparently came with the new found wealth too, as under President Gerd Niebaum and General Manager Michael Meier they challenged and gazumped the established and wealthy force of Bayern Munich to signings such as Thomas Rosicky and Sebastien Kehl – with that deal in particular getting under the Bavarians skin given they’d already agreed the deal and paid a sign on fee.
But Dortmund were walking a financial tightrope, their finances were dependent on Champions League income, and with a new stadium being built, failure to qualify in successive seasons saw the debts rack up. Before long the figure due stood in excess of £200m, the stadium was sold and leased back to the club, a property developer lent the club £15m and secured it against the future transfers of star players and they owed in excess of £6m in taxes and other debts. Sound familiar?
With it reaching the stage funds had to be raised just to meet the wage bill Dortmund, in dire straits approached Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness for help. A £2m loan was agreed and the lights stayed on.
The deal stayed a secret but not for long. It eventually became public knowledge when Dortmund, under Jurgen Klopp lifted the league title, were en route to a second and were financially stable once more under new Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke – and the debt to Bayern had long since been settled.
At this stage Hoeness, as reported in the Athletic, told a supporters function:
“One day, when they were completely at a loss and couldn’t pay the wages, we lent them two million, unsecured, for two months. I’m a great fan of tradition and therefore believe that this wasn’t a bad idea.”
Having stayed silent long enough, the noisy neighbours return to the top seemed an opportune time to remind their rivals of their place in the scheme of things.
Today theRangers confirmed the financial shot in the arm they have received from riding on the coattails of the marketing pull of Ange Postecoglou’s homecoming and Celtic’s November trip to Sydney, as the latest Ibrox club’s Commercial director James Bisgrove advised two games at Celtic’s winter party in Sydney will net theRangers the equivalent in income as a whole season in the Scottish Premiership.
“We have been in negotiations for a few weeks for this particular opportunity and to be frank it’s a sizeable benefit for the club from a commercial perspective. I think an extent that we have never had an offer of this level for two friendly games for an international tournament so it’s something the board have looked at and unanimously feel is a positive opportunity”
“To put some context around this, we’ve spoken before and Stewart Robertson has spoken before about the broadcasting and media values here in Scotland and the club’s view on that has been well documented. The participation in this event over eight days will benefit the club to the same level as an entire season in the SPFL Premiership for two friendly games.”
You can watch the full interview with the Ibrox commercial chap below….
— Steve Hoops (@Shoops67) March 2, 2022
Uli Hoeness of course found a mixed response to the story when it was broken. Some Bayern fans found the news difficult to swallow, propping up a noisy and profligate neighbour as it did, feeling they should have been left to their own devices and faced the bankruptcy that was nearing closer. Others felt it underlined Bayern’s dominance over Dortmund and would always be used as evidence of where the sporting and financial strength lay in German football.
.@CelticFC @RangersFC 𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃.
The fierce 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 will play their first ever derby outside of Scotland in The Sydney Super Cup against @IsuzuUTE A-League clubs @SydneyFC & @wswanderersfc.
Details: https://t.co/csmJnaMZzu#WeAreALeagues pic.twitter.com/Zw4RAAYmsc
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 2, 2022
Here in Scotland, it appears Celtic have also lent a helping hand to a debt-stricken neighbour as they accept a ticket as Celtic’s support act on their Australian Tour. Once again, the response to it has been mixed, but whatever side of the argument you may lie when it comes to Celtic’s decision, it underlines both the sporting and financial advantage Celtic hold over the current incarnation operating out of Ibrox – and why it may be a long time, if ever, for that to truly change.
The response to all of this among Celtic supporters has been negative to say the least, yet among theRangers supporters their anger at their own (new) club is off the scale, seeing this Ange Homecoming as a Celtic led exercise with their board meekly and cynically playing along as the supporting role because the pile of money on offer is big enough.
Apologies for lack of responses on matches scheduled to be played in Australia later in the year, it’s one I need to let @CelticFC lead on as I don’t have any specific details. I believe further information will come directly from the Club abut this
— Celtic FC SLO (@CelticFCSLO) March 2, 2022
It’s quite incredible really how this Australian match has managed to unite both sets of supporters in opposition to this game taking place, albeit for vastly different reasons. This morning Celtic SLO John Paul Taylor took the unusual step of distancing himself from this enterprise, leaving the club to face the music from the support while over on Govan James Bisgrove is now coming in for the fiercest of criticism with one of their supporters saying that they were about to find out how thick his skin is.
This is what you’ve signed up to, Rangers. More than eight months of building up to it too, no less. Who on earth at Ibrox thought this would be a good idea or thought it would be portrayed any differently from how it is? https://t.co/JvVpYG6rrr
— Andrew Dickson (@mrandrewdickson) March 2, 2022
Club 1872 demand answers from Rangers board after controversial Aussie trip confirmation https://t.co/SjbT8TMeOt
— Chris Jack (@Chris_Jack89) March 2, 2022
The A-League article has also gone down the ‘Ange’s Homecoming’ line, lacks any balance and refers to the ‘Glasgow derby’ with no Old Firm reference. Rangers, on their 150th birthday, appear to be allowing themselves to be touted as a sideshow for their biggest rivals.
— Andrew Dickson (@mrandrewdickson) March 2, 2022
Rangers accepting half the amount that Celtic are getting just to be apart of the whole Ange Postecoglou Australian homecoming in November wasn't on my list of things I thought I'd see when the whole Ibrox support were giving it Ange Who? just last June.
— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) March 2, 2022
Niall J
