Rouven Kasper on Bayern’s Kenya excursion in 2027 and tapping into African and South American markets

FC Bayern will travel to Nairobi for a friendly with Ajax and have also acquired academies in some other African countries as their Chief Marketing & Sales Officer attempts to expand their reach. Their popularity is also at an all-time high in South America.

MÜNCHEN (Bulinews): Having recently announced plans to visit Kenya in January for a mid-season tour and game against Ajax, Bayern Munich’s Chief Marketing & Sales officer Rouven Kasper believes the club are expanding their popularity in Africa. 

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to be playing there. We have been focusing on the continent [Africa] in recent months,” Kasper explained to Bulinews.com and other media present regarding their 5 January 2027 trip to Nairobi.  

“We acquired, together with our Red and Gold initiative, a very strong academy in Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon. Knowing that Bara [Sapoko Ndiaye] is from one of these academies, from an athletic perspective it’s very relevant.

“As well as playing the match, opening what will be a very big stadium and playing there [in Nairobi, Kenya] in the pre-season against Ajax Amsterdam, it’s a perfect combination which everyone is looking forward to,” he added.

Elaborating on his point, Kasper feels there a multitude of reasons as to why a club like the German record champions are sought after. It ranges from what happens on the pitch to the accessibility of players off it. 

“I think generally when it comes to football, people look to the top clubs and we are one of the most successful in the world. If you look at UEFA’s coefficient over the last 10 years, we rank as the best.

“We play lovely football, we are successful and I think people like that we are approachable. An example is our summer tours where the players are very approachable, not just flying in and flying out.

“We are there and we invest strongly into the interpersonal relationship [in these countries] by giving back to the people. In the end, football is from the people and fore the people – it’s a special thing that we focus on this.

“Maybe as well, it’s based on the German DNA – [to be] very reliable, it’s based on quality and whatever we do you can count on us. There, we have a positive difference compared to others.

“We haven’t been to Africa that often, so we need to learn as well. Learn from what we experience there, our fans there, and talking with them,” Kasper said, highlighting that this is more than purely a ploy for financial gain.

South American markets, Kasper explains, have also been extremely kind towards the Bavarian giants in recent years. Namely Colombia with former and current stars James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz donning the red jersey. 

“Generally, the numbers in the Americas [North and South] are growing very fast. James Rodríguez, already with his amazing followers, is still in the top four for followers [for a South American footballer] which is very impressive.

“Having Luis Díaz with us now, for Colombia as an example, is also impressive. Only looking at our social media followers in Colombia, they have grown over 500 percent. Brazil is also growing very fast too.

“This is because we as the Bundesliga together are focusing there [South America] for socials with lots of content. The content is just wonderful and there is a wonderful passion there for sure.

“Not all Germans speak Spanish; we have a disadvantage in language, but we have the same passion in us playing football. We are seeing that the numbers are increasing for viewership of Bundesliga matches and out social media.

“Our merchandising is also increasing. In this part of the world, it is also very positive [in terms of sales], so people are demanding it which is positive. Hopefully it will continue on like this,” he concluded.