Dr. Reinhard Rauball ~ "A great first half of the season"

[Freddy Adu]

"A great first half of the season"

League president Dr. Reinhard Rauball took time out to talk to bundesliga.de about the Bundesliga, the League Association and the friendlies in Asia.

bundesliga.de: Dr. Rauball, the Bundesliga has entered its winter break. How do you view the first half of the season?

Dr. Reinhard Rauball: In my opinion, we had a great first half of the season, and the early signs indicated that it would be good. We had a record in season ticket sales and the highest ever income from sponsoring. I believe that trend continued in the sporting competition. There was no march towards the title for FC Bayern, which many had feared. Instead, there is a three or even four horse race for first place. We also have a battle going on to avoid relegation. And nobody can predict at the moment how either race will end up.

bundesliga.de: Dr. Rauball, in your opinion, which were the decisive events for the League Association in 2007?

Dr. Rauball: I believe that the League Association experienced one of the most exciting years since its founding. Of course, that has a lot to do with personnel changes that were made after my predecessor Werner Hackmann passed away. There have been structural changes and I believe we have repositioned ourselves in many areas. After all, the topics we now have on the table are of an intensive nature and they all have something to do with the League Association's future.

bundesliga.de: Which challenges do you see in 2008?

Dr. Rauball: There's a lot of competition, not only within the Bundesliga itself, but also on the European stage, and on a sporting level, we must try to keep pace with the demands played on us in international competition. In turn, it is essential that we discuss the "50 plus 1” ruling. The question is this: should the present majority holders in the clubs be allowed to keep that status, or should we open up opportunities for foreign and German investors? Additionally, our cooperative contract with the DFB and the renegotiation of TV rights will also play a large role.

bundesliga.de: You're a very busy man and are constantly travelling around the world. How do you keep up to date?

Dr. Rauball: I'm informed! Naturally, I'd prefer to be in the stadiums and check out the fantastic atmosphere we have there. When I'm abroad, I always use the internet. Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite is a great way to keep up to date. And of course we have that wonderful program "GOAL! ", our weekly preview show. I can watch that in hotels around the world.

bundesliga.de: Borussia Dortmund, Energie Cottbus and Arminia Bielefeld are all in Asia for pre-Christmas friendlies. How important are such games for the Bundesliga?

Dr. Rauball: Well, I do believe that they are extremely important, as we do need to increase our presence in international marketing. We can only achieve that by showing ourselves in those markets. The English clubs have shown the way, and we are now looking for countries where there is an immediate relation to our clubs. For example, Energie Cottbus is in China, because they have Shao, a Chinese player, in their squad. They'll play against the Chinese Olympic team. My club, Borussia Dortmund, was recently in Warsaw, Poland. We have two Polish players and we also enjoy a large following in that country. We also travelled to Indonesia to play the national team in the capital, Jakarta.