Max Eberl, Uli Hoeneß and Co.: Who really calls the shots at Bayern – will someone turn on the lights?

There are good arguments that Max Eberl holds the power at FC Bayern . For example, Max Eberl is the sporting director of FC Bayern Munich. Which is why the Munich native – Eberl played for the club as a six-year-old – should certainly have a say in the squad's composition.

On the other hand, Andreas Scheuer was also once Minister of Transport, but nothing can be said about his transport at this point.

At least the tz newspaper is reporting – no, don't worry, no information on Andi Scheuer – that Max Eberl is considering resigning and could leave Bayern as early as October. That sounds self-determined, that sounds powerful, that sounds somehow totally desperate. But not surprising, because Eberl must have noticed that he has as much say at Bayern as the underprivileged in Prussia's three-tier electoral system. In other words: Without the Chancellor, without the Kaiser, without the Holy Father, who in Munich is still called Uli Hoeneß , no transfer will go through. That doesn't sound good, but it's still better than the prospect of having to work as Minister of Transport.

11FREUNDE power barometer: 4/11 friends.

So let's move on to FC Bayern's Benjamin Blümchen, the elephant in the room. It's said of Uli Hoeneß, now "only" honorary president and member of the supervisory board, that he still guides the club's fortunes like a patriarch. Always ready to steer fortunes one way or the other, always ready to pick up the phone and dial the number from the Doppelpass.

Which is surprising, because legally, his approval is only required if the new signing is worth over €50 million. On the other hand, any U21 striker who scores once or twice in the second group match of the European Championship now costs double the aforementioned sum (which is funny, because the sentence is actually true—an absurd development, eh?).

Uli Hoeneß's true power, of course, lies elsewhere: Whenever he speaks, the microphones are directed toward him like prayer rugs pointing toward Mecca. And what if things are said that don't fit Bayern's official transfer strategy at all? Then things are made to fit.

11FREUNDE power barometer: 10/11 friends.

Which is why at this point we are with the guys who still expertly make a mountain out of a molehill, who think in headlines, who turn a piece of information into real news: all the Florian Plettenbergs and Patrick Bergers and Christian Falks who ask tough questions, show tough attitudes and sometimes even omit a piece of news if someone asks them to, because then they get the next transfer report exclusively, wink wink.

Few people have shown as much commitment to pushing through transfers at FC Bayern in recent years as Florian Plettenberg. He even took someone like Tottenham boss Daniel Levy by the horns on live television to get him to finally release Harry Kane. It was only a stone's throw from "Finally accept this thing! It's getting annoying" to "Palhinha off!" Rumor has it that Plettenberg has more transfers at Bayern than Hasan Salihamidzic. But then, that wasn't in the job description of a breakfast director.

11FREUNDE power barometer: 4/11 friends.

He is the CEO of FC Bayern Munich AG. He has worked for Bayerische Vereinsbank and Hypovereinsbank, was a board member of BayernLB, and served on the executive committee of the German Football League (DFL). Tomorrow is his birthday. Whether he has power or not, however, cannot be judged from here. From here, it is not even possible to judge whether he is Dreesen, Michael Diederich, or Herbert Hainer. From here, all that can be judged is that the man's name is Jan-Christian Dreesen. But even that is something most readers didn't notice at the beginning of the text.

11FREUNDE power barometer: 2/11 friends.

Okay, sure, Bernie is just a mascot. A shaggy plush creature, a popular guest at every child's birthday party, a harmless marketing gimmick. You might think so. But football clubs are still small biotopes, oases of well-being for people who have enough problems at home—or none at all—which is why they come to the stadium to celebrate, to erupt in excitement, and to suffer. Here, feelings still count, decisions are still made on a gut level, and a simple "Players, coaches, board out!" from the 75th minute onwards can still bring about real change.

Which brings us back to Berni. He goes about his job every day with stoic calm, is a mood-maker in the best sense of the word, and truly sets the pace for the club. But what if Berni were no longer the happy-go-lucky bear from Säbener Straße? If he no longer inspires cheers despite a terrible game and a barely 3-0 win against Heidenheim, but still laughs and smiles politely? Yes, then the wind could change very quickly at FC Bayern, and people who were just in office and in power could quickly lose their jobs. A single "Players, coaches, board out!" from Berni the Bear at Bayern, and there would be something going on...

11FREUNDE power barometer: 8/11 friends.

Didi Hamann

Speaking of mascots: Didi Hamann also takes every opportunity to offer his transfer advice to FC Bayern. A week ago, he recommended that the club follow Liverpool's example and integrate more young players. At the same time, he saw a personnel need in defensive midfield. A month ago, he believed Bayern should release Max Eberl and hire Markus Krösche. Now, Hamann believes Bayern definitely need to be more creative in the transfer market. At the same time, he said: "60 million for Woltemade was already too much for me. The English – they have a bit more money to spare. They can do it. But Bayern can't and mustn't participate in this madness." He still didn't understand the transfer of Luis Diaz, saying they'd laugh at it at Liverpool. Currently, Didi Hamann sees only one favorite for the championship: FC Bayern. So many opinions, so much back and forth, so much conviction – only Edmund Stoiber can do that. It's a clear case: Didi Hamann should have been on the supervisory board long ago.

11FREUNDE power barometer: 1/11 friends.