Jan-Christian Dreesen didn’t exactly close the door on helping 1860 Munich. He slammed it.
Bayern Munich’s CEO was asked this week whether the German champions might toss their crisis-stricken city rivals a financial lifeline — around €5 million ($5.5 million) in assistance as 1860 prepares for yet another restart in Germany’s fourth-tier Regionalliga. The Lions failed to secure a 3. Liga license, which means they’re back in the amateur ranks again. Dreesen’s answer? Polite at first. Then firm. Then outright dismissive.
“I truly hope 1860 Munich get back on their feet again,” Dreesen said during an event at the Munich Press Club on Tuesday. “I really hope they get things going because they have unbelievably great fans who have endured an incomprehensible amount of suffering.”
But then the tone shifted. The reporter framed the proposal as a potential “gift to the city of Munich.” Dreesen wasn’t buying it.
“I take a somewhat more critical view of that,” he said. “There is still a very real antipathy toward our city rivals among our members and supporters. There have been ugly banners and demonstrations against us. Some of it comes from our side as well.”
He added: “I don’t believe our members would approve of that. I rate the chances of a transfer of money to be very slim.”
A complicated history between the two clubs
This isn’t some random ask. Bayern and 1860 have a tangled shared history dating back to the Allianz Arena, which opened in 2005 as a joint project between the two clubs. Bayern eventually bought out 1860’s 50 percent stake for €11 million when the Lions hit financial trouble. Then they stuck around as tenants while Bayern deferred some payments. That arrangement lasted until 2017, when 1860 got relegated and the stadium deal fell apart entirely. They moved back to the smaller Grünwalder Stadion.
So the question wasn’t coming out of nowhere. Bayern had helped before. But Dreesen made it clear that era is over.
“Sometimes it can be beneficial when you have to start again from the bottom,” Dreesen said. “It is a defeat, but it is also a fresh start. One then has the opportunity to reorganize things. I hope they make the right decisions.”
1860’s fanbase remains one of the most passionate in German football — and one of the most tortured. The club has bounced between the second tier and the fourth tier for years now, with financial instability and administrative chaos making a return to professional football feel perpetually out of reach. Their supporters have kept showing up anyway. But that loyalty doesn’t seem likely to sway Bayern’s membership base, many of whom hold old grudges.
Dreesen also made time to brush off transfer rumors around Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, and even joked that Vincent Kompany’s hiring was part of Bayern’s so-called “master plan.” But the 1860 moment was the one that actually had teeth.
For now, the Lions are on their own.
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