Axel Heffer, chairman of Schalke's supervisory board, called for a playoff system to decide the German Bundesliga title, according to an interview published Friday by the newspaper Bild. Heffer suggested the change would create more excitement in the domestic competition while guaranteeing annual qualification to the European Champions League.
Herbert Hainer, president of Bayern Munich, rejected the proposal ahead of the two teams' scheduled match on Saturday in the Bundesliga. In the shared interview with Bild, Hainer said he wanted to win the championship every year and that the team finishing first after 34 regular-season matches should be crowned German champions without needing playoff matches.
Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga title in every season since 2013 except 2024, when Bayer Leverkusen claimed the championship. Schalke has not won the league since 1958, before the Bundesliga era began, when the German title was determined through playoff matches.
Hainer cited Bayern's basketball team as a cautionary example, noting that the squad finished first in the regular season last year but lost the playoff final to Alba Berlin because his team was exhausted after playing 83 matches. He characterized his disagreement with Heffer as fundamental, saying "here our views differ substantially."
