Pandemic hits Bundesliga revenue but players’ salaries rise

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

BERLIN (AP) — Bundesliga players’ salaries reached an all-time high of nearly 1.57 billion euros last season despite a huge shortfall in German clubs’ revenue during coronavirus lockdowns. The German soccer league says the downturn in revenue since the start of the pandemic across the top two divisions has totaled more than 1 billion euros. The part or full exclusion of fans from most games played had a dramatic effect on match revenue, which fell last season by 95% compared to the last pre-pandemic season.