Bayern end controversial partnership with Qatar Airways

Bayern Munich said Wednesday they had decided not to renew their sponsorship arrangement with Qatar Airways, which had long been controversial because of human rights concerns in the Gulf country.

In a joint statement, both sides said the contract would end “by mutual agreement” on June 30 after a five-year partnership.

“The connections that FC Bayern has been able to forge with its fans in the Arab world through Qatar Airways will remain,” the statement said.

Bayern’s new CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said the team and Qatar Airways “have worked together successfully and learned from each other”.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways’ chief executive, wished Bayern “all the best for the future”.

“FC Bayern is a great football club whose games we have followed with joy and passion,” he added.

Germany’s biggest club had long faced criticism for its ties to Doha and the state-owned carrier in relation to alleged human rights issues, particularly surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At the club’s 2021 general assembly, members disrupted the meeting with boos and chants calling for the connection with the Gulf state to be cut.

During last year’s World Cup, the German national side backtracked on a promise to wear a “One Love” armband in support of human rights and diversity, blaming the decision on threats of on-field sanctions from FIFA. 

In the pre-match photo before the first game of the tournament, the German side posed with their hands covering their mouths, issuing a statement that they had been silenced by the sport’s governing body. 

Germany were eliminated at the group stage for the second-successive World Cup but denied the team was distracted by off-field events.