BERLIN: Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn said on Saturday (15/10) that the club will find a “solution” to the ongoing debate over its controversial sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways, but only after the World Cup.
“After the World Cup we will have intensive talks with Qatar Airways and weigh everything up, then we will find a solution for FC Bayern,” said Kahn at the club’s general meeting in Munich.
The comments came amid a growing debate over whether Bayern should extend their partnership with Qatar’s state airline beyond June 2023 when their current deal expires.
Germany’s biggest club have long been criticized by home fans for their business ties with Qatar, which include sleeve sponsorship with Qatar Airways and regular winter training camps in Doha.
Fans have repeatedly expressed unease about Bayern Munich’s ties to the Gulf state, which has been heavily criticized for its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers since awarding the 2010 World Cup.
Internal debate at Bayern Munich reached a low point at last year’s AGM, when fans and club bosses clashed bitterly as some members attempted to submit a motion to end the sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.
The club hierarchy took a more conciliatory tone this year, with Kahn citing a round table the club held with fan representatives and human rights organizations back in July.
“No one has said that Qatar is a country that meets European standards, but everyone has said they are on the right track,” he said, apparently referring to recent labor market reforms in the Gulf state.
But with ongoing criticism of Qatar from human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Bayern remain under fire from their own fans.
After ex-president Uli Hoeneß urged the club to extend the Qatar Airways deal in September, the Bayern Ultras hit back with a banner at the next home game against Bayer Leverkusen.
“State visits, training camps, thousands of dead at World Cup celebrations,” read the banner.
In the financial figures published on Saturday, FC Bayern recorded annual sales of 665.7 million euros and a profit of 12.7 million euros in 2021/22.
Income from sponsorship and marketing, which includes the cooperation with Qatar Airways, amounted to 224.2 million euros.
As well as promising a solution to the Qatar issue, Kahn said he would use his position as vice-chairman of the European Clubs Association to advocate for tougher financial regulations in European football.
“Financial fair play is obviously a dull sword and we need a sharp sword,” he said.