Bayer Leverkusen CEO wants an international salary cap to rein in the Premier League, but the Bundesliga’s own 50+1 rules may be holding German clubs back.
Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer Leverkusen, has made fresh calls for an international salary cap while speaking at Bloomberg‘s Future of Finance event.
Carro’s main concern is the financial dominance of England’s Premier League, which he believes is trying to become the number one product in Europe, “even above the European Champions League.”
This is not the first time Carro has raised concerns about the Premier League. Back in 2021, he told The Guardian: “We tried to buy a player in the summer and in the end a promoted side from the Premier League was able to pay more money and a higher salary than us, a top four side in Germany.
“The Premier League has so much more money and resources than any other country. This is not good for us. Definitely not.”
At the time, Carro highlighted how German clubs have come to rely on player transfers to generate revenue, noting the Bundesliga’s struggles to match other leagues in marketing and broadcasting.
“If you look at Spain, they make €860m ($1bn) from overseas TV rights and we only make around €200m. So even if we could make, say, €300m more, we still wouldn’t bridge the gap with the Premier League. The gap is still much higher.”
Today, this gap has only widened. Premier League clubs generated over €7.1bn in aggregate revenue in the 2023/24 season, compared to around €3.6bn for Bundesliga clubs.
Is an international salary cap feasible?
Carro, who admitted he is usually against regulation, said, “it is something I think we have to fight for.” However, the practicalities of implementing such a cap are complex.
Premier League and La Liga clubs are unlikely to support it, as it would limit growth and revenue in leagues already performing at the top.
Enforcing a uniform international cap would require coordination across multiple leagues, each with its own rules and legal frameworks. Without universal adoption, leagues that opt out would immediately become more attractive for players.
Salary caps exist in some sports, particularly in the US, such as the NBA and NFL, but these are closed leagues without promotion or relegation. Football already has some frameworks through UEFA, such as Financial Fair Play, aimed at balancing revenue and spend, but these focus on club finances rather than individual salaries.
The Bundesliga’s path to growth
The Bundesliga is widely admired for its 50+1 rule, which gives local fan groups and businesses a controlling stake in clubs, limiting outside ownership. This structure creates stability and strong fan engagement but also constrains private investment, leaving German clubs at a disadvantage in the financial arms race.
A key example came last year when the Deutsche Fußball-Liga (DFL) abandoned plans for private investment in its new marketing entity after fan protests. The initiative had aimed to raise up to €1bn to boost Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga broadcasting rights, with CVC Capital as the sole investor.
Although 24 of 36 clubs initially voted in favour of granting an 8% stake to the media subsidiary, fans argued the process was undemocratic and violated the 50+1 principle.
In response, the DFL held a meeting in Frankfurt and confirmed the strategic marketing investment would not proceed.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, spokesperson for the DFL Executive Committee, said: “Although there was a significant majority in favour from a business perspective, German professional football is in the midst of a crucial test of its strength, and this topic has given rise to considerable conflict.”
Despite these limitations, the Bundesliga continues to innovate commercially. The league has experimented with content distribution, including awarding live coverage of 20 games to YouTube channels like Mark Goldbridge’s That’s Football and Gary Neville’s The Overlap.
