Bayern Munich Fans Urge Club to End Qatari Deal
German football club Bayern Munich is facing criticism from a group of fans over a Qatari sponsorship deal.
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The protesters accuse Qatar of human rights violations and exploiting foreign workers.
A group of Bayern Munich fans is putting pressure on the club to end its controversial Qatari sponsorship deal amid claims of human rights abuses.
Bayern signed a five-year sponsorship deal with state-owned Qatar Airways in 2018, which the German media claim is worth around 20 million euros ($22.5 million) per year.
However, a group of fans wants club President Herbert Hainer and CEO Oliver Kahn to cut ties when the Qatari deal expires in 2023.
During a recent Bayern home game, fans placed a banner that read, "We'll wipe anything clean for money," which displayed a cartoon of Hainer and Kahn feeding money into a washing machine.
Former club Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who negotiated the Qatar Airways deal in 2018, defended his decision three years ago, arguing that he wanted to ensure Bayern had the cash resources to remain competitive in Europe.
Attempts by the fans to get an interim injunction demanding the non-renewal of the deal were rejected by a Munich regional court, but the group says its fight goes on.
Massive human rights violations by Qatar
"We want to obtain preventive measures to avoid a renewal of the contract," said Michael Ott, a spokesman for the group of fans.
"Qatar is guilty of massive human rights violations and there are heavy suspicions of corruption in sport."
The protesters refer to human rights groups that accuse Qatar of exploiting foreign workers, particularly in the construction of stadiums for the next World Cup, which kicks off in November 2022.
Officials in Qatar rejected the claims.
In response, Nasser al-Khater, the chief executive of the Qatar World Cup insisted last week that no enough credit has been given for Qatar's labor reforms aimed at improving conditions for migrant workers, which are mostly from South Asia.
Nevertheless, some Bayern fans are also uncomfortable that the Bundesliga champions held annual winter training camps in Qatar before the Covid-19 pandemic as part of a long-term partnership.
According to German daily Bild, several Bayern stars, including captain Manuel Neuer, have asked club bosses not to renew the Qatar Airways contract.
However, the Bavarian giant has predicted a loss in revenue due to the pandemic of around 150 million euros, and giving up such a huge sponsorship deal would further hurt their finances, they say.
