Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is "relatively relaxed" about Pep Guardiola's contract situation and is also confident Sepp Blatter will with the upcoming FIFA election, he told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview.
Guardiola joined Bayern in 2013 following a brief sabbatical after his time as Barcelona manager. His contract is set to expire after the 2015-16 season but Rummenigge has said the Spaniard can stay at Bayern indefinitely should he so choose.
The manager said last month that he would not discuss an extension until the season ended, but Rummenigge said he is not overly concerned by the uncertainty surrounding Guardiola's future.
"I had a discussion with him a couple of weeks ago about this matter," the chairman told ESPN FC. "The outcome of the final results of these discussions have been that I don't want to ask him within the end of this running season. Afterwards we will have a discussion and we will see.
"I'm relatively relaxed because I believe we can offer him a very good club, a good team. I believe he likes the city, he likes the culture of the club, the style of society life here in Munich. So, I have the general impression he feels well here in Munich, so we will see.
"But I don't know in the end what his final decision. We're happy with him, and I hope that in the end he's happy with us and will renew the contract."
Bayern are on pace for a third consecutive Bundesliga title, though they're led by a number of players over 30, including 31-year-olds Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Philipp Lahm. And while Rummenigge is keeping an eye on the future, he says it's not yet time to replace the current stars with younger models.
"So we have some players that are beginning with the autumn of their careers, players that are more than 30 years old. But I don't have the impression that all of them are in a critical phase," Rummenigge said.
"I think players like [30-year-old Bastian] Schweinsteiger, Ribery, especially Robben are still up in good conditions and doing well. When I'm watching Arjen Robben I'm still falling in love with his performance, which has been at a very high level for two years especially.
"Of course we have to care about, to find the right balance at the end. But I'm convinced there is a good chance that we will find the right balance in the end to find a good way to substitute them.
Asked if he felt he would have to build a new Bayern in the coming years, the chairman said: "That is, of course, a very important matter we have to do together with the coach, which is not easy. But I believe we are able to do so."
'Blatter will win by far'
Rummenigge also predicted FIFA president Sepp Blatter would easily win his bid for a fifth term when elections are held in May.
"I believe the elections are done," he said. "Mr Blatter is a candidate and he is by far the big favourite. He's supported by all the big continents from Africa, Asia, South America and so on.
"Maybe he will not be elected by Europeans because there are European candidates like Luis Figo and maybe Prince Ali from Jordan. But in the end I'm convinced Blatter will win by far.
Rummenigge said a change in FIFA leadership may not be for the best, even if prominent European federations have supported other candidates.
"I don't know if a change would be good for football because I believe, if you regard to FIFA, I know that Mr Blatter is not very popular in England, he's not very popular in Germany, but I have the impression he's very popular in Africa, Asia and South America," Rummenigge said. "Maybe we have to request ourselves why FIFA is not very popular in Europe, especially in these two countries.
"So, I believe it is not very easy to always find good solutions for FIFA, which in the end are well accepted by all continents. I believe that Europe has to have a good policy regarding everything, because Europe is by far the most prominent continent, and by far the most important continent.
"To give an example, I believe that last World Cup 76 [percent] of all players playing, or who were in the squads, are contracted in Europe. That's a sign that things in Europe are well, and European football is very wealthy especially in the 'Big Five' countries.
"But that is definitely a goal to find good solidarity solutions that are accepted by all continents. I believe we have to request ourselves what we have to do better here in Europe to convince the world of football to go ahead with us."
Future of the Bundesliga
The Premier League announced earlier this week that its domestic television rights for the three seasons between 2016 and 2019 had sold for over 5 billion pounds. Rummenigge said that while the German league may lead the world in some categories, there is still room to grow in broadcast revenue.
"I believe that Bundesliga in the past years made a very good job, because we are still growing," he said. "Looking at the general audience in the stadiums, I believe we have the best stadiums in the world, we have maybe the best infrastructure in football. The only thing we need to grow is TV figures.
"So, in comparison to Italy and Spain, and especially England, we are far away. And that is a point which is very important because at the end clubs need money invest in the quality on the pitch. I hope we all will be able in the end, especially guys from the Bundesliga, that we can grow the figures, which is hopefully the case because we need the money."
Bayern have long been the dominant force in the Bundesliga, especially this season as perennial challengers Borussia Dortmund are fighting against relegation. Second-placed Wolfsburg trail Bayern by eights points but made one of the biggest splashes of the winter transfer window in adding Andre Schurrle from Chelsea for 34 million euros.
Rummenigge said Wolfsburg have all the right factors "to become the second force in the Bundesliga."
"If you have a look in the past two or three transfer markets, they always bought good and prominent players like [Kevin] De Bruyne, Schurrle. Before, they bought Luis Gustavo," Rummenigge said. "They have a good team, and they are actually No. 2 in classification, and of course they will continue this way.
"In the end, I believe it's good for the league, so it's good for Bayern Munich as well. I believe we need competition. Football is nothing but emotion, so I think it's good to have some clubs that are doing well on the pitch, so that we have to do better."