Lewandowski’s departure was bitter, says the owner of a Bayern fan site. Reactions to the setback are varied

The Bundesliga season has started and Bayern Munich fans are very happy with the start. The defending champions beat Frankfurt 6-1, which was also watched by the Mia San Bayern fan site. In an exclusive interview with Ruik, its owner, Slovak Matej Pancik, talked about the relaunch of the site, the news, as well as the club’s reinforcements and Julian Nagelsmann.

When was the fan page of Germany’s most successful club founded?

I was not present when the site was founded, I have been the owner and administrator since 4 March 2018.

How was the founding done back then? Were you alone or did you have a bunch of friends involved in the creation?

I started the site together with a colleague, with whom we had our own project for a short time before – that’s where the brand “Mia San Bayern” was created – it will be about five years. Before that, we worked on another site where we gained our first experience. In the spring of 2018, this site, now ours, was in decline, and I even remember that when we announced our relaunch, some people were skeptical.

How many people are currently working on the site?

Until recently, I would have said three actively including myself. But a few days ago we expanded the team and I can say that there are now about three times as many people in editorial positions. The core is made up of my two colleagues who have been on the site for about 2.5 years. I think we have the same or very similar vision of how and where to take the site with a guarantee of quality.

I believe that with the new reinforcements we will be able to cover different topics. For example, we’ve already launched the “Bavarian Heart” series about our legends, and I personally also want to focus more on expanding our reach and branding, which has never had much room.

Nowadays, the site enjoys a good following. But how are your fans reacting to the team’s failure? After all, Bayern hasn’t lost in the league for 10 years, and they’d like to be virtually flawless this year..

Bayern always have the highest ambitions and it’s right that the fans want them to become a reality. Even so, of course, sometimes there will be defeats and setbacks. I think that in terms of the fans’ reaction, it very much depends on where the failure or the defeat stems from.

When it’s a blatant long-term failure of a coach or a player, for example, the reaction is different than when someone stumbles in one game, and it’s even different when a referee makes a mistake, which we have unfortunately experienced.

As administrators of the site, we have long tried to write posts with substance and love for Bayern, even in the tougher moments we try to support the club, and I am confident that our fans will not stop cheering after one disappointment.

How often do you need to add information to the site?

We don’t have a specific number, it varies depending on various factors. We definitely post dozens of posts a week, and thanks to my colleagues we have never had a “dead period” of several days. I think activity is very important for a good site. Even if it can’t be just any activity.

And what about the credibility of the information? Do viewers know which cited server to trust? Or do you choose only from reputable media?

Of course, after some time one figures out which sources are more credible and which are not. It is extremely important for us to share truthful information. We avoid tabloids, unverified things and cheap sensationalism.

We also take pride in always having a source for posts that need to be. In this regard, we may introduce one innovation that already works on some other sites, namely that we will rate the credibility of individual sources and post that rating for them.

Your site participated in a fan club football tournament this year, with eleven teams. Bayern representatives finished just outside the podium. Were you present at the tournament?

I couldn’t attend and I’m very sorry. I have heard good things about the tournament and I think it is a great event. A colleague of mine participated this year and the year before, when the Bayern fan team even won. But of course it’s all about meeting people and having a good time. I hope I will be able to attend next year’s event.

Julian Nagelsmann took over the team last year. But even he failed to win the coveted Champions League trophy. Plus a beating in the domestic cup. Could the season still be judged as a good one?

It would be good to divide last season into two halves. In the first one, the team played excellent football statistically, in terms of results, but mainly to the eye of the fan. In the second half came a major setback in the Bundesliga and a bitter relegation in the Champions League.

Taking into account that several key players (Kimmich, Davies, Goretzka) were injured for a long time and that it was Julian Nagelsmann’s first season, it was an okay season. However, the management and fans will expect more from Bayern next season.

Before this year, Mathijs de Ligt and Sadio Mané were the main signings. Especially the former Liverpool striker has already shown his qualities. How did you welcome the new players in the team?

It’s hard to evaluate the new reinforcements after two competitive matches. For example, let’s remember Luka Modric, who when he came to Real Madrid was one of the worst players of the team in his first season and a big disappointment and we all know where he is today.

But you can say that Bayern bought wisely and strengthened the team where it was most needed. Mathijs, Sadio and other new players came in because they explicitly wanted Bayern. Besides, these are players who have already proven their quality in previous teams. I think they are great reinforcements and they will fit in quickly.

And what has been the reaction of the fans of the site?

The reaction has been excellent. Bayern is not a backwater club with an oil billionaire. The management is really responsible and Bayern’s transfer policy corresponds to that, which I personally approve of. But sometimes fans are disappointed with the transfer window. That certainly can’t be said of this one. It really has been a success and everyone can see that. Our management has done a great job.

Bayern, on the other hand, had to say goodbye to Robert Lewandowski. How did you feel about his performance at the Camp Nou?

His departure was bitter. After all he has done here, it would have been fitting to see him off in a different style. I’m sorry. He is and always will be our legend and one of the best goalscorers of his generation. No one scored more goals than him during his time at Bayern. Fortunately, Bayern never stood on one player, we move on. And if I still wanted to look for positives, honestly, 50 million (euros) for a player his age is a very decent amount.

Nagelsmann’s selection has entered the season brilliantly. Two games, eleven goals, one trophy. Could this be Bayern’s year not only on the domestic scene?

The start to the season has been excellent so far, but there is still a lot to improve. Bayern will of course want to be successful on all fronts, although we all know that especially in the Champions League a little bit of luck is also needed. For me, and I think for most Bayern fans, the most important thing will be to play nice, attacking football “with heart” and we will believe that success will come even with the new system.

Finally, back to Mia San Bayern. Is there any news coming up in the near future?

Definitely yes. I wouldn’t like to reveal something that we won’t be able to accomplish afterwards, but I can confirm that we have been discussing various news in recent weeks. Personally, I want to leave some time for the new team to stabilize, then I’ll focus more on new things.

I’d definitely like to improve our Instagram, where some technical problems persist, I’d like to build a strong server on Discord, which we already have established and it’s possible that fans will eventually find us on other platforms. There will probably be some minor changes, the aforementioned resource rating and so on.

And what are the goals for the site in the coming months?

To continue to provide honest, truthful coverage of what’s going on around Bayern, to keep the current trend going and to continue to grow. Also to bring in more of our own content similar to the “Bavarian Heart” series, perhaps handling more things with simple and clear graphics. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who follow us. They seem to like our work, and that’s what we’re all about.