Sunday 11th July 2021
DFB under attack
Possible Qatar deal causes outrage
The DFB continues to stumble from faux pas to faux pas. A media report reveals negotiations with Qatar Airways. That causes widespread outrage. In politics too.
The viewers of the European Championship tournament could hardly overlook who would like to fly them to the World Cup in just under 500 days. However, it was probably less the advertising boards that made the German Football Association (DFB) aware of Qatar Airways. It is more likely the airline’s financial strength that the association flies to. The sponsorship negotiations ensure, however, that the DFB has already crashed again with a view to its public reputation.
“The DFB must be clearly aware of the external impact of such negotiations. Demonstrating on the green lawn for human rights and then striving for sponsorship contracts with the state airline of a country in which the human rights situation is extremely fragile hardly fits together,” said Gyde Jensen, who Chairwoman of the Bundestag committee for human rights and humanitarian aid, the “Bild am Sonntag”.
Pistorius finds it shameful
Like the FDP politician, Cem Özdemir cannot understand the DFB’s approach. “The European Championship has shown how far football has moved away from the European economy – almost all sponsors of the European Championship come from Asia, the USA or Qatar,” said the member of the Bundestag for the Greens: “If the DFB is involved in a sustainable path If he wants to go to stakeholders close to him, these talks should not be held. “
The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” was the first to report on the association’s talks with one of the most important state corporations of the next World Cup host. Accordingly, the negotiations are already so far that a template for the Presidium could soon be drawn up.
Politicians from all parties represented in the Bundestag warned the DFB. In an interview with the newspaper “Welt”, the SPD domestic politician and Lower Saxony sports minister Boris Pistorius described it as “shameful” that “an allegedly non-profit association like the DFB, which allows the national team to take a position on human rights, is negotiating with such questionable sponsors” .
The DFB is silent
DFB marketing director Holger Blask let it be known that the association generally does not comment on discussions with current or potential partners: “If there is something to report, we are happy to talk about it.”
According to the “BamS”, the DFB Presidium has already decided to terminate the contract with Lufthansa, which runs until 2022, because the German airline wants to cut its payments significantly. Like Blask, DFB boss Peter Peters also remains silent. “I cannot evaluate and comment on a situation if I do not yet know the economic details,” said the co-interim president.
But it already seems clear that the crisis-ridden DFB has once again jumped into a faux pas. Apparently, those responsible for the association passed by that both the European Football Union (UEFA) and record champions Bayern Munich are massively criticized for their cooperation with Qatar.
A Facebook page full of rainbow flags
It is therefore not surprising that Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß described the debate about Qatar in the one-two at Sport1 as “hypocritical”. “It is only discussed because of football,” said Hoeneß: “We are not allowed to do business with China either.” Nevertheless, it fits into the vague image of the leaderless and scandal-shaken DFB that the Facebook presence of his co-boss Rainer Koch is teeming with rainbow flags – while at the same time negotiations are taking place with the state company of a country in which homosexuality is a criminal offense.
The impression arises that human rights are not as important to the DFB as they had propagated around the international match of the national team in March against Iceland (3-0). The words “Human Rights” could be read on the players’ t-shirts at the time.
The much-noticed action was clearly aimed at Qatar. The emirate has been heavily criticized for years because of the human rights situation, the situation of guest workers and the allegations of corruption surrounding the award of the World Cup. But, as is well known, the DFB is also very familiar with constant criticism.
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