Bayern Munich president Oliver Kahn promised on Saturday to find a “solution” after the World Cup in Qatar (from 20 November to 18 December) regarding the sponsorship agreement between the Bavarian club and Qatar Airways, which was heavily criticized by its fans.
“We will continue to discuss this issue intensively after the World Cup in Qatar. We will think carefully about everything and then find a solution for Bayern Munich,” said Kahn at the club’s annual general meeting.
The sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways, Bayern’s “platinum” partner, or the second-ranked sponsor, is the most important after the four shareholders who own shares, Allianz, Audi, Adidas and Telecom, worth 20 million euros annually and expires at the end of the 2022-2023 season.
The previous General Assembly took place at the end of November 2021 in a stormy atmosphere, as the club’s fans asked not to renew the contract that allows Qatar Airways to display its logo on the sleeves of the club’s shirts.
Fans believe the club’s moral values do not allow it to accept money from a state-owned company accused of human rights violations.
“Our club is exploited, and we have to live with it, for Qatar to use Bayern’s uncritical attitude. It is unacceptable,” said Michael Ott, a spokesman for fan groups on Saturday.
Kahn, like club president Herbert Hainer, insisted that dialogue and exchange of views were important to them.
“Nobody said Qatar was a country that met all European standards,” Kan said. However, according to him, NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International believed that “the country is on the right track”.
The funds for the sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways are important for Bayern, which in the financial year 2021-2022 recorded revenues of € 665.7 million, an increase compared to the previous season (€ 643.9 million). but it dropped to 750.4 million before the pandemic (2018-2019).
The group’s after-tax profit rose to € 12.7 million, compared to € 1.9 million in the previous year, but is a far cry from the € 52.5 million of 2018-2019, before the outbreak. of the epidemic.
