Monday marks the start of last week’s Champions League and Dortmund are in full swing as supporters prepare to head to London. But it also marks a year since Borussia Dortmund’s miserable day blew away the Bundesliga title.
You may remember the scenes of disbelief. Just need a home win for Mainz to end Bayern Munich’s decade of dominance in Germany, parade plans are in place. However, Dortmund could only scrap their way to a 2-2 draw. Blurred dreams.
Outside the stadium, there was the usual recrimination. The joy of Edin Terzic, the coach who became a fan of the team that suffered emotions to bring them to the brink of the title, was transformed again. Is he naive? Is this player ready to win?
In the stadium, there is no one. That’s a conversation for another time. There is only society united in disappointment. Terzic broke down in tears as he and his players applauded supporters who did just that – supported broken team. Even so, how can one recover from such a setback?
Speaking to Carsten Cramer, Dortmund’s managing director, during a trip to the city earlier this season, at questions to ask. “Maybe you’ve seen the picture,” he replied. “What happened to the players, what happened to the coach. That’s Dortmund.”
It’s Dortmund, really. That is one reason why his return to the biggest stage – the Champions League final against Real Madrid at Wembley on Saturday – is cause for celebration. “Dortmund is different,” Cramer explained. He wasn’t wrong.
It is the best supported club in Europe in terms of average attendance because of the Yellow Wall. They belong to the elite – 1997 Champions League winners and the second most profitable club in Germany – but remain outliers.
“There are many pieces to the Dortmund puzzle. This is something special.” They have reached this final despite selling Jude Bellingham to their rivals last summer and selling Erling Haaland to current holders Manchester City the previous summer.
There is something organic about Dortmund, something good about them beating Paris Saint-Germain here. “We have no government, no company, no Arab owner to spend money on. Whatever we do, we have to earn it ourselves. That makes us proud.”
If not for the football club, Dortmund would be a relatively unremarkable city in the Ruhr. Not the prettiest or the richest. “If you compare Dortmund as a big city, it’s mostly where the money is.” There is another currency in Dortmund.
“The most valuable currency in this club is emotion.” That can be good and bad. “I don’t know a human being who can only spend positive emotions. Negative emotions, disappointment, sadness and madness belong to the history of this club.”
There are times when it’s harder than throwing away that title. “Twenty years ago we made the mistake of spending money, we should not have overtaken Bayern Munich and almost went bankrupt.” Lessons were learned. Today, he knows who he is.
Currently, Bayern’s wage bill is roughly twice Dortmund’s – a real context for trying to compete with their Bundesliga rivals. “This is not to complain, but we all know that the more you spend on salary, the higher the chances of success.”
However, some rivals will still envy Dortmund. So many fans. abundant customer. But Cramer and his colleagues know there are limits to this particular club. While brands are built on authenticity, naked commercialization can be awkward.
A conversation with Benedikt Scholz, Dortmund’s director of internationalization and commercial partnerships, comes to mind. The famous Yellow Wall was certainly not commercialized as it was photographed, but it was intentional.
“In some ways, you could say we’re economically insane,” Scholz suggests. “Look at the Yellow Wall, there are 25,000 people standing there. If we just put chairs and 20 more (executive) boxes, our commercial revenue will grow.”
Cramer admits: “Sometimes it’s a challenge to have a red line here and a red line there. It limits growth. It makes it difficult. But I like it. Protect your character. Keep your DNA. Be open to new developments but no revolution.”
That means that while there are offices in New York and Singapore, Dortmund cannot expand like others. They won’t host NFL games like Eintracht Frankfurt. But this weakness is a strength. “It’s part of our DNA. We focus on football.”
He added: “Even after 11 years without a championship, the stadium is still sold out. The interest in the club has not given up. This is because we are not just a football club. That is why people spend their hearts. and not just their money.”
One wonders how those conversations with fellow executives while they are breaking bread also make it. Cramer offers a little insight, describing what Txiki Begiristain, Manchester City’s director of football, says is the key to success.
“He told me, ‘It’s very important that you have the same 24 players in your squad because the players need that pressure.’ Of course, I know that it helps ensure success in sports but I don’t have the money to coach the same 24 players.
“We have to make the best of it.
“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
They are neither Manchester City nor Real Madrid greats. Nor does it want to be. They definitely don’t want to be like Bayern Munich. “We don’t compare ourselves to Bayern. As long as we do our best for our members, that’s fine.”
There is another plan, explained by Cramer today. “Try to be Dortmund. At some point, we will be rewarded for this strategy.” A year after the disappointment against Mainz, the greatest reward that European club football can offer is just 90 minutes.