It’s quiet at the FC Bayern base camp in Orlando on Tuesday. While the Florida sun beats down outside and the next Club World Cup match against PSG on Saturday draws nearer, inside there’s caculation, translation and revision being done. Three of the German record champions’ youth players are sitting attentively in the meeting room – not with tactics plans in front of them but schoolwork. They’re not just here to experience an international tournament with the first team, but also to swot up on maths, English and sports theory. Except on matchdays, the trio have class every day in Florida.
“It’s certainly an exceptional situation sometimes,” says David Santos Daiber, an 18-year-old pupil at the Sportgymnasium München-Nord. The central midfielder is approaching his Abitur exams – and spends the days in Orlando not just in football boots on the pitch but also with a tablet in class. Sports theory, art and maths are on the timetable today: three subjects, three worlds – and one clear structure. “I’m used to the dual burden,” says Santos, who also reads his subject material in German and English in his room at the team hotel. “But it takes discipline.”
Meeting room the classroom
The room where the youngsters meet teacher Fabian Cichlar every day is normally reserved for team meetings. It currently serves as a classroom. Cichlar knows the players well – he’s also part of the team at the FC Bayern Campus who support the resident pupils in their schoolwork, give feedback and answer questions. The initiative often comes from the players themselves. “I just say what I need, then I get great help,” explains Santos.
His team-mate Lennart Karl is currently studying for the Realschulabschluss school certificate, which he wants to do next year. His tenth year at the Münchner Mittelschule an der Rockefellerstraße is the final straight for him – after graduation and his 18th birthday, he intends to move out of the campus. “We do homework here every day,” says Karl in Florida. His classmates in Munich are currently completing their school internships, so his schedule is fairly light. Nevertheless, he is making good use of his time. “You can't lie to yourself, that doesn't help at school.” Maths is currently on the agenda – he’s revising the material together with Santos and getting feedback from the teacher.
‘A cool experience’
The 17-year-old describes the tournament as a one-off chance: “It’s very cool in the stadiums. You’re playing against special opponents.” They spend their free time playing games – on the PlayStation, tecball or basketball. “The atmosphere is really good, we also spend a lot of time with Tom Bischof and Aleks Pavlović.” Santos also attests that Pavlović is more than just a team-mate – he acts as a point of contact for the youngsters on and off the pitch.
Cassiano Kiala also attends the Gymnasium München-Nord, like Santos. The 16-year-old has school there from Monday to Thursday until 4:30 pm, then training at the Campus. “Sometimes I have to run for the bus, which can be stressful,” he reveals. His big dream of becoming a professional footballer comes before everything. For him, too, school organisation during the Club World Cup is running like clockwork. He recently took a maths test from Orlando, and today he has his Spanish assessment test. He received support beforehand via video link from Munich – with language teacher Ann-Kathrin Weißenbach from the Campus – and in person the evening before with coach Max Steegmüller. “This grade is very important, so I have to improve,” he says.
That’s followed by English preparations – “luckily nothing from other subjects, it’s the summer holidays soon”. For him too, the workload is outweighed by the excitement of the experience at a tournament. “It’s awesome to be able to experience this,” describes Kiala, who moved to Munich from Berlin in summer 2024 with his family. “I’ve been a Bayern fan for as long as I can remember.” Santos also smiles at this topic: “It’s an honour to be here.”
As well as sport, Kiala is especially interested in maths and history, Santos in English, German and politics, and Karl in English most of all. “Languages are always useful as a footballer – here in Orlando, for example, our meetings are in English,” explains Karl.
Preparing for the future
Whether it's the Abitur, Realschule or language qualifications, FC Bayern continues to place a strong focus on school education, even during tournament phases. The intensive support and professional environment help the talented players to successfully combine both worlds. Santos sums it up: “I want to get good, solid grades and not just scrape through. We all want to turn pro but if things go wrong, we'll have a qualification in our back pockets.” And who knows, maybe soon they'll also have their first major international title.
All FIFA Club World Cup matches are being broadcast live and for free by streaming service DAZN, although broadcasters will differ in some countries.
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