A few of the many reasons why i love German football and why the Bundesliga is the most attended league in Europe:
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Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final at Bayern Munich on Tuesday is not only an on-field contest between two of Europe's great clubs - it also represents a clash of two very different financial philosophies.
While at United the talk is of takeovers, Bayern supporters are safe in the knowledge that such a scenario is unlikely to ever unfold at the Allianz Arena.
The system by which Bundesliga clubs are regulated, with an emphasis on strict financial rules and licensing, means Bayern are debt-free, allowing the club to offer some tickets for as little as 12 euros (£11) in a world-class stadium.
That is a world apart from the Premier League model of light-touch regulation that has allowed the United States-based Glazers to saddle United with debts of £716.5m.
It has become a debt too far for thousands of their fans, so much so that the Red Knights, a group of wealthy United followers in alliance with the Manchester United Supporters' Trust is attempting to wrest control of the club.
Stuart Dykes is a Manchester United fan living in Germany. He also supports Schalke and pays 13 euros (£12) to stand in the Veltins-Arena and watch his team.
The cost of the ticket includes free public transport to the stadium from certain areas. Membership of the Gelsenkirchen club costs him 96 euros (£86).
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- Bundesliga clubs broke the 2bn euro (£1.8bn) level for the first time in 2008-9
- It was the seventh successive season in which an attendance record was set - averaging 42,000 a game
- Average ticket price: 20.79 euros (£18.70) - about twice as much as in the Premier League
- The Bundesliga is the European champion of sponsorship deals - 573m euros (£515m)
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