Complete with anthem and stars

They are the inventors of the Champions League

Klaus Hempel (left) and Jürgen Lenz (right) invented the Champions League over 30 years ago, which starts this week with a new format.

(Bild: TEAM Marketing AG)

Two Germans invented the Champions League over 30 years ago. They also came up with the idea of the anthem and the star banner ("the footballers should reach for the stars for 90 minutes"). Klaus Hempel and Jürgen Lenz have made club soccer rich. But this would not have been possible without a visit to Lake Wolfgang.

Hempel is a marketing genius. As managing director of ISL Marketing AG, founded by adidas owner Horst Dassler, he was already involved in the TOP sponsorship program in the 1980s, which generated billions in revenue for the International Olympic Committee.

The then UEFA boss Lennart Johansson invited Hempel and Lenz to dinner and told them about his plans. The two marketing geniuses then worked out a concept for the Champions League.

(Bild: GEPA)

In 1991, the German founded Television Event und Media Marketing AG, or TEAM for short, with fellow countryman Jürgen Lenz. The then UEFA boss Lennart Johannson invited them to dinner and told them about his concerns. The top European soccer clubs were demanding more money, threatening to boycott the European Cup and form their own league. Hempel recalled in the "Tagesspiegel": "Johansson told us that they wanted to restructure the club competitions. That would be the only chance to regain control."

Concept should attract new spectators and new sponsors
Hempel and Lenz took this as a mandate and retreated to Lugano for three weeks. They did a lot of sport and worked on a concept. Their idea was to create a brand and deliberately position this brand further than soccer. The idea was to attract new spectators from other backgrounds, including women and families. And with them, new sponsors. Soccer should appear different, no longer as a working-class sport.

Hempel and Lenz prevailed against six competitors with their concept. But Uefa demanded a financial guarantee: 150 million francs for the first two seasons. They came into contact with Arend Oetker via a lawyer from Hamburg. He then called his ex-father-in-law, Otto Wolff von Amerongen. They met and negotiated at his home on Lake Wolfgang. After a while, the wealthy industrialist interrupted them with the words: "Gentlemen, my wife has prepared some trout. Can you stay for dinner? We are now partners." 

The financial guarantee for the Champions League was once secured at Lake Wolfgang.

(Bild: saiko3p - stock.adobe.com)

Exclusivity created value
The new concept was geared towards television, especially the largest television markets of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England. The broadcasters could no longer choose the sponsors who presented the matches. They were already fixed, centrally marketed by Hempel's agency. The rule that a few sponsors pay a lot of money was the breakthrough. Exclusivity created value. One thing came in very handy. Private television entered the market, breaking the monopoly of the public broadcasters.

Palme before the 1995 Champions League final in Vienna with UEFA President Lennart Johansson and ÖFB President Beppo Mauhart.

(Bild: Zur Verfügung gestellt)

Clubs were skeptical at first
Nevertheless, the start was not easy. Austrian sports manager Heinz Palme, who repeatedly worked for UEFA at Champions League matches, recalls: "The clubs were skeptical at first. They believed that they would earn more without central marketing. I had many intensive discussions on the subject with the Dortmund manager at the time, Michael Meier." Meier said: "Things are being organized in our house that actually belong to us." He was also referring to the hospitality sector, which UEFA had appropriated for itself.

In 1995, the ÖFB organized the Champions League final in Vienna's Happel Stadium with Palme as the driving force. Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan provided a great soccer festival. In the end, the Dutch team coached by Louis van Gaal won 1:0 against the Italians coached by Fabio Capello thanks to Patrick Kluivert's golden goal.

Patrick Kluivert lifted the Champions League trophy into the night sky in Vienna in 1995 after scoring the winning goal against Milan.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Hempel emphasizes in the book "Des Kaisers General": "Our idea of founding the UEFA Champions League was groundbreaking. But an idea is only as good as its implementation. That's why there were people who believed in this new format and enthusiastically brought it to the stadiums. Heinz Palme was one of these important people. Also at the successful 1995 final in Vienna."

On the new concept of the Champions League, which starts on Tuesday, Palme says: "It takes some getting used to. I liked the group stage with 32 teams and a first and second leg better. But it's probably the next step to fend off the Super League."

"Huge competitive advantage"
Palme adds: "As a club, it's hard to resist this growth. When a total of 2.5 billion euros is paid out, everyone is happy to take it. But of course, this means that the gap is widening massively. Sturm and Salzburg have a huge competitive advantage in Austria thanks to their income - participation alone brings in 18 million euros. And the money is only made at the top. The Europa League and Conference League are just a beautiful drop in the ocean."