As FC Bayern grew into a global club, Eckhart Müller-Heydenreich had already been there a long time. After becoming a member in 1956, he shaped the club behind the scenes over decades. The articles of association, on which everything is based, carry his thumbprint. Without him, FC Bayern would be fundamentally different. On 19 April, Müller-Heydenreich, still a member of the ‘Montagskicker’, celebrates his 90th birthday.
If someone were to say that Eckhart Müller-Heydenreich has led an eventful life, as a trained lawyer he would probably, with his typical twinkle, classify this as an understatement. After finding the centre of his life in Munich in 1956, he steadily worked his way up the ranks, becoming mayor, serving as a city councillor for many years, setting up his own law firm – and incidentally becoming one of the most influential figures behind the scenes at FC Bayern. When he stepped down from the administrative advisory board at his own request in 2021, Edmund Stoiber, with whom he had co-chaired the committee for a long time, called him “the spiritual father of the club's modern articles of association”. Müller-Heydenreich became a playmaker in the depths of the room, the creator of the statutes of the German record champions. The club still plays by the rules that he played a key role in shaping today: a signature that’s imprinted.
Until he was ten years old, many things were taboo. Football ranked at the bottom of his father's view of the world, and the young Eckhart suffered when he had to walk past fields with his family in his Sunday best where his peers were playing football. After the war and its aftermath, just staying alive took up all the time, but as a young student he signed up for FC Bayern as soon as he arrived in Munich. Why not join the then more popular 1860? “I liked the fact that the Reds focused on football, I liked the whole direction of the club.”
The core of the record champions
Müller-Heydenreich knew “my skills weren't good enough to play in the first team – my real sport was athletics, middle-distance running and indoor handball’. There was “a good camaraderie” – and at some point, the club and Müller-Heydenreich began to grow up together. Bayern were promoted in 1965, Müller-Heydenreich was elected to the city council in 1966 and became a member of the sports committee. In 1967, the then president Wilhelm Neudecker stood before him and told him to please revise the articles of association. Two points were important: “It shouldn't cost anything – and I will continue to make the decisions.” The rest is (club) history. What Müller-Heydenreich was in charge of developing still forms the core of the German record champions today.
„In the new articles, FC Bayern's social stance is clearly set out - that's important.”
Eckhart Müller-Heydenreich
It was particularly important to him “that no committees were formed within the club that blocked each other”, says Müller-Heydenreich. There were already several examples in German football at the time where exactly that had happened. “For me, it was fundamental that all decisions should lie with those who represent the club externally, not with secondary bodies that could weaken the stability of the club out of personal ambition or conviction.” This is why the advisory board introduced at the time was structured in such a way that it has a purely advisory function. It was also important that it could not be filled by potentially emotionalised fans in difficult situations. This is why it’s not elected but appointed by the executive committee – as a committee of people of trust. “This has proven to be the right approach, as it often involves confidential issues,’ explains Müller-Heydenreich.
In 2010 the articles were revised again, and Müller-Heydenreich again played a central role. “The aim was to ensure that FC Bayern was not controlled by third parties,” he explains as he fishes a veal sausage from the pot. “The members and fans wanted to prevent people who actually have nothing to do with the club from securing a majority stake in it.” The partnerships with Audi, Allianz and Adidas became a strategic consensus, but limiting influence was the key concept. In German football, there is the 50+1 rule; at Bayern it’s 70+1. This solution was developed in dialogue with the fans, “and Uli Hoeneß was decisive here”, reveals Müller-Heydenreich: “He had the right instinct for the fans and knew exactly where the boundaries lay. This vote was decisive.” In the end, it was agreed “to clearly limit the third-party shares and to ensure that the members continue to have the decisive influence. We are talking about the essence of FC Bayern here – what sets this club apart from others.” President Herbert Hainer recently explained at the exclusive anniversary get-together for members: “Other clubs are supported by investors – FC Bayern is supported by its members.” Müller-Heydenreich agrees: “The decision-making power must always remain with the club, the executive committee and the members. That ensures stability.”
A lifetime of not enough time
The fans were already heavily involved by 2010, and the club did the same with the most recent reform of the articles of association two years ago. “It was all done transparently with intensive participation,” praises the “spiritual father”, who particularly likes “the newly added passages on the club's ethical standards”, he points out: “Previously, the articles were more technical, now the club's social stance is clearly set out. That is important.” Bayern is once again a pioneer in this area. “If I were advising other clubs, I would recommend that they take a look at the FC Bayern articles of association.” What makes FC Bayern strong? “Those who manage a club must always focus on the club, not their own motives,” appeals Müller-Heydenreich. “And they shouldn’t put a lid on everything to make sure that nothing bubbles under the surface. Uli Hoeneß is the role model here.”
After more than 60 years of service for FCB (“You have to know when to let younger people in”), Müller-Heydenreich is still fit, both physically and mentally. “I still play for the Montagskicker today,” he says. “Franz Beckenbauer would have said about me: ‘He can only run straight ahead.’ And he's right, but it's better than not running at all!” he says with a grin. “I don't moan. I'm only dissatisfied when I fall short of my own potential. Then I get annoyed with myself.” He never gets bored either: “All my life, I've always had less time than I actually needed.”
The full version of this article appears in the current edition of members’ magazine ‘51’.
Topics of this article