Episode 45 Bundesliga in Europe in 21/22 with guest Sky Sports TV Germany presenter Sascha Bacinski

Thank you for your interest in the BvB London fan community podcast as every week the focus of the show will be on exploring a facet of football life with a focus on Borussia Dortmund by talking to experts, fans, and players and coaches. 

People, including journalists, who make up the football world including decision-makers and who know the football world and the world of BVB well.

The aim of the podcast is to make Bundesliga, BVB and international football more accessible.

On today's show, our guest is Sky Sports TV Germany presenter Sascha Bacinski. 

Born in Hagen near Dortmund Sascha Bacinski has for many years been a popular and well-known face of Bundesliga on German TV.

Educated in journalism at Bochum's Ruhr-Universität, the 35-year-old has been reporting live from football matches since 2007. 

Originally a sports radio reporter with Radio Hagen, Sascha joined the hugely successful Sat 1 Tv channel at the start of season 2007/8 where he covered pitchside interviews and pre and post-match interviews including for the leading football show 'Ran'.

In 2011, Sascha joined Sky Sports TV Germany where for the last 10 years he has presented sports programmes and features. 

Sascha is a passionate football fan and an ambassador for the children's charity 'Kinderherz'. 

In a win for the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig reached the semifinals of the Europa League where they will face West Ham United and Rangers respectively. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich were knocked out by Villareal. 

This season has seen 'Die Schwarz-Gelben' fail at the group stage in the Champions League and then be eliminated in the first round of the Europa League against a club, Glasgow Rangers, from a country, ranked 29 places beneath Germany in the FIFA world rankings.

VFL Wolfsburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen were also eliminated in the second round of the Europa League with Union Berlin was knocked out in the first round of the UEFA Conference League. 

Meanwhile outgoing Bayern executive and former world-class striker Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has questioned in an interview this week whether the 50+1 rule, which limits corporate investors to a maximum of a 49% stake in German football clubs, has become too restrictive and is in need of reform. 

The rule is however highly popular with fans of clubs like the 160,000 BVB members who vote on important changes to the club's constitution and strategy like the introduction of a female football department in 2021. 

The English Premier league meanwhile has a more liberal investment regime and clubs often change hands between major corporate investors and sometimes as in the case of Wimbledon in 2003 even move cities. 

In light of the European Super League fiasco which, had it gone ahead would have seen a closed European league with no promotion or relegation being founded, a major challenge to national leagues and to the Champions League. 

The ESL brought fans out onto the streets to protest and, for now, has been defeated, English fans though have long complained of their loss of influence and identify the 50+1 model as one which could provide them again with the influence over their beloved clubs.   

But in European competition the Bundesliga is falling massively behind the Premier League, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Leicester City are still in the competition, this season is one of the best on record for the English league.

So is the 50+1 still working for the Bundesliga or is it time to reform? 

1. Life on the touchlines how Sascha became a TV presenter and what life is like in the 'fast lane' of football presenting. 

2. The 50+1 rule outlined what is it, and how does it work? What effect does it have? 

3. This season in Europe for the Bundesliga v Premier League is shaping up to be the worst since 2014-15.  

4.  The situation with the English Premier League and fans and the ESL why fans are so disaffected?

5. Germany's 'Traditionsmannschaften' and their decline Werder Bremen, 1860 Munich, Hamburger SV, MSV Duisburg and co. 

6. The corporate football clubs in the Bundesliga do they distort competition? 

7. Is the 50+1 still delivering the talent for 'Die Mannschaft' and the youth national teams? 

8.  The popularity of 50+1 is undeniable can it become a model for the English league and is overseas investment starting to alienate English fans? 

09. Social media and acknowledgements. 

Correction Leeds did of course reach the Champions League semifinal in 2000/01.

We hope you enjoy the show, remember to send us your comments, share the show with friends and to apply for tickets contact the club via the website which is borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or join the London BvB community at our online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland.

During the season you can also come to watch a game at our meet-up Stammtisch at the Naughty Bar, just off Oxford Street, in Cleveland street central London.

 

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