Qatar Airways sponsorship ended
Report: Emir of Qatar dumped FC Bayern
06/28/2023, 8:53 p.m
The criticism of the millions that FC Bayern earns from sponsoring Qatar Airways has been unmistakable for a long time. According to one report, it is also a reason that the partnership is now ending. And apparently much less harmonious than officially announced.
The sponsorship agreement ended “by mutual consent after five very exciting years together.” This is what FC Bayern and Qatar Airways announced. The German soccer record champion is said to have received around 25 million euros per season, a lucrative partnership. But also a highly controversial one. The high point of the protest, mainly due to the active fan scene, was the general meeting in November 2021, which got out of hand. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” now raises the question of how amicable the non-extension of the cooperation really was – and, referring to “several sources”, writes that “the Emir personally pulled the ripcord”. A clear contradiction to the club and airline’s “joint statement”, which is owned by the state of Qatar.
As an indication of this, the SZ mentions that the separation has only now been announced. Two days before the current contract expires. When asked, FC Bayern would have denied that the papers for the continuation, according to the newspaper, “had already been ready for signature”. However, according to the report, there was already a broad agreement to continue the cooperation. But then the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, made the decision himself: That was it.
Several factors are said to have been the cause of this, but according to SZ these can be summarized under the Qatari view of the “overall socio-political situation in Germany”. The powerful and especially Al Thani expelled sour. The above-mentioned general meeting is mentioned, as well as how the FC Bayern club leaders deal with it. These would not have sufficiently assured Qatar that it would reject the content of the protests and classify them as an expression of an insignificant minority.
The discussion about the “One Love” captain’s armband, combined with massive criticism of human rights violations in the emirate during the World Cup in Qatar last November, also contributed to the separation. As an example, the SZ cites the protest of the German national soccer team at the team photo before the opening game against Japan. The professionals held their hands in front of their mouths to demonstrate against the ban on the bandage – including Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller, five FC Bayern employees.
Already in the annual winter training camp of the Munich team in Qatar, the mood was gloomy. Nevertheless, both parties have since come closer in talks. At least until the Emir has now drawn a line. After all: The SZ also reports that “airlines from Dubai and Abu Dhabi” would consider penetrating this gap. The Bundesliga champion of the past eleven years should not fall into a financial crisis. Whereby a commitment by Saudi Arabia, which is currently massively penetrating world sport as a whole and in football in particular, with billions of euros, should be considered “a no-go”.