Controversial business relationship
Media report: Emir of Qatar ended the sponsorship deal on his own initiative – FC Bayern wanted to extend it
A spectator watches Bayern’s training session in Doha in January
© Peter Kneffel / DPA
FC Bayern and Qatar Airways have not extended their sponsorship contract. A joint statement said the split was amicable. But a media report suggests that the Emir of Qatar personally put his foot down to end the collaboration.
According to a media report, the end of FC Bayern’s sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways was not amicable. On the contrary: It was the Qatari who ended the cooperation of their own accord, reports the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Accordingly, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, personally made the decision to end sponsorship by the state airline.
There are several reasons for not extending the expiring contract: On the one hand, the Qataris were annoyed by the criticism from many Bayern fans. The dispute escalated at the 2021 AGM when supporters and club members called on the club not to extend the deal on its own initiative. In addition, there is a lack of communication between the Bayern management and the Qataris, it is said. The leadership would not have communicated clearly enough to the donors that they did not share the critical attitude of their fans. Criticism from Germany about the human rights situation and the performance of the German national team at the World Cup in Qatar last December led to a further cooling of the relationship.
Negotiations with Qatar Airways are said to have been far
Nevertheless, negotiations were held to extend the deal. Until recently, it was therefore not foreseeable that the deal would burst, even if there were supposed to have been signs in advance. On the contrary: the negotiations for a new contract had already progressed a long way until the emir apparently personally gave the instruction to end the cooperation.
The sponsorship concerned the advertising on the upper arm of the shirts, where the words “Qatar Airways” were emblazoned. The deal is said to have brought Bayern around 20 million euros a year. Bayern have also been doing a regular winter training camp in Doha since 2012, which was only canceled twice due to the corona pandemic. The sponsorship deal also arose from these contacts. It is not known whether Bayern will continue to hold their winter training camp in the emirate.
In order to compensate for the financial loss, Bayern are in talks with other sponsors, especially with Germans, who are said to have approached the record champions. Whether that’s enough to offset the Qatar deal remains to be seen.
Source: “Süddeutsche Zeitung“