Bayern Munich fans see red over club’s links with Qatar

Bayern Munich are among European football’s most storied names, five-time Champions League winners, serial Bundesliga winners and a model of financial prudence in an era of nine-figure transfer fees - but their Qatar links are angering supporters. (Getty Images)
Updated 28 April 2018
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Bayern Munich fans see red over club’s links with Qatar

  • In August last year, Qatar’s Hamad International Airport expanded its sponsorship of Bayern Munich in a €10-million-a-year deal
  • Qatar owns a 14.6 percent stake in Volkswagen, according to the automaker’s website, while Volkswagen subsidiary Audi owns 8.3% of Bayern

MUNICH: Bayern Munich are among European football’s most storied names, five-time Champions League winners, serial Bundesliga winners and a model of financial prudence in an era of nine-figure transfer fees.
So why have some fans begun protesting against the stewardship of the club?
The answer, in a word, is Qatar, which has strengthened its long-standing ties with Bayern amid a near year-long standoff with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, who accuse the 2022 World Cup hosts of supporting terrorism.
In August last year, Qatar’s Hamad International Airport expanded its sponsorship of Bayern Munich in a €10-million-a-year deal ($12 million) that put the $17 billion airport’s logo on the shirt sleeves of Germany’s most successful football club. Then, in February Bayern announced that the logo of state-owned Qatar Airways’ would be added to its shirt sleeves, replacing Hamad International, AFP reported, in what was described as a five-year deal that would be worth more annually than the 2017 agreement with Doha’s airport.
The relationship goes beyond mere sponsorship; Qatar owns a 14.6 percent stake in Volkswagen, according to the automaker’s website, while Volkswagen subsidiary Audi owns 8.3% of Bayern.
Bayern have also held their winter training camp in Doha for the past eight years and, pressed on the club’s failure to publicly castigate Qatar for the dire conditions for workers in its construction industry, chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in January said: “The situation of the workers in Qatar has improved through football, although of course they can still get better,” claiming Germany’s foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel had told him as much.
The former German international’s words attracted scorn from Bayern fans’ group Munich’s Red Pride, which responded by holding up banners in a home game against Werder Bremen quoting Rummenigge’s claim that the situation for low-paid workers in Qatar was improving alongside a picture of his face in which his eyes were replaced by red tomatoes.
“In Germany ‘tomatoes in his eyes’ is an adage that means someone doesn’t see obvious things or especially in our case wants to take people for fools,” a spokesman for Munich’s Red Pride told Arab News.
“And even though there are marginal improvements in labor conditions — which are difficult to judge — it’s not to the credit of greedy organizations like FIFA or functionaries of our club, but rather (due to) human rights organizations.”
Other Bayern fan groups echo those misgivings.

“Among many supporters, the prevailing view of Qatar’s sponsorship is negative,” said Rick Joshua, a senior figure in The Red Dragons, Bayern Munich’s London supporters’ group.
“I’m not keen on the Qatar deals because of human rights issues and the hush-up surrounding the World Cup bid. It doesn’t really sit too well with me. Whenever we reach the winter break and the team goes off to Qatar, that’s when I switch off.”
Bayern declined to answer specific questions from Arab News in regard to the club’s relationship with Qatar, instead providing a statement from Rummenigge.
“We’re seeing a positive development as far as the (current) situation in Doha is concerned,” he said, citing the United Nations Labour Organization’s decision in November to end an investigation into the rights of migrant workers in Qatar and Doha’s pledge to phase out the kafala system, which ties an employee to their employer and has been likened to slavery.
“As a representative of the whole football family, FC Bayern plays its part toward ensuring this can be achieved,” said Rummenigge. “We are engaged in a global competition with the best European clubs. But our partners in Doha are also aware of our beliefs. We talk about these matters confidentially, and trust continues to grow with every conversation. That is the most important prerequisite for change.”
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a three-year technical cooperation program in which it will work with Qatar to improve employment conditions and recruitment practices, ensure timely payment of wages and better protect against forced labor.
Laborers were working more than 72 hours per week at eight of 19 contractors engaged in construction work for the 2022 World cup, an independent audit published in March found. The Impact report described these practices as “critical” non-compliance to the supposed limit of 60 hours per week, while laborers at five other firms were working 60-72 hours per week.
The report, while acknowledging some progress, also detailed various other malpractices, and Human Rights Watch believes Bayern must do more to press for immediate and lasting change in Qatar.
“Bayern should address this issue. They try not to talk about it, saying that in private they tell the Qataris what they should do, but won’t do that in public,” Wenzel Michalski, Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) Germany director, told Arab News.
“I don’t buy it. Why say things in private that you wouldn’t say in public? It’s kind of a lame excuse.”
Joshua said Rummenigge’s claim that Bayern were helping achieve lasting change in Qatar by engaging the Qataris privately was unconvincing and inadequate.
“There may be fewer workers collapsing with heat exhaustion, for example, but big problems remain. What we want is progress toward a situation we can say comfortably I don’t actually mind dealing with this country rather than going in with reservations,” he said.
“It’s not just the failure to speak out — perhaps it’s understandable that you wouldn’t criticize a third party you’re trying to secure a business deal with — but also Bayern’s claims that changes are being made to improve the situation in Qatar. Are they really? The evidence suggests otherwise.
“For all the free trips the board members are given, for all the Rolex watches that are shipped back, it really has not made that much of a difference.”
Bayern’s website includes a section on the club’s values, noting its laudable achievements in helping save the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt from financial ruin and its long-standing charity work, as well as its 270,000 members which make it the biggest club in the world by that metric.
“Be successful, but never forget the weak: FC Bayern is committed to this ideal of the “reputable businessman,“” the club’s website states. “FC Bayern is also aware of its responsibility to the community, above and far beyond football … Those who are successful must help those who are weak.”
Bayern’s timid stance regarding Qatar contradicts these values, according to HRW’s Michalski.
“Sports should be about fair play and what happens to migrant workers is not fair. There are improvements and we acknowledge that, but these improvements are mainly on paper or on those construction sites where big international companies are building the (World Cup) stadiums, for example,” said Michalski, noting HRW was not against the club receiving sponsorship from Qatar but that it should use its prestige to better influence decision makers in Doha.
“All the other construction sites which are for infrastructure needed to host the World Cup, these aren’t checked, and we don’t know what’s going on there,” added Michalski.
“Bayern Munich can really help improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who work long hours in the heat for little money.”

WHY ARE BAYERN TAKING QATARI MONEY?
- Bayern strolled to a sixth straight league title this season, with the Bavarian giants’ financial might and ability to buy their domestic rivals’ best players turning the German league into little more than a procession. Yet competing against European football’s elite has proved tougher, both on and off the field.
- Bayern won the Champions League in 2013, the club’s third appearance in the final in four years, but have since failed to get past the semifinals and in terms of revenue are slipping behind Europe’s big three of Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, despite being utterly dominant domestically in a country that boasts Western Europe’s largest population and biggest economy.
- Germany’s domestic league cannot command a premium in terms of broadcast income and sponsorship versus its continental rivals — the Premier League earned £2.4 billion ($3.3 billion) in broadcast revenues 2016-17, dwarfing the €628 million euros ($778 million) Germany’s Bundesliga is estimated to have received last season.
- Germany’s egalitarian ownership rules require that clubs, with a few exceptions, be majority-owned by their members, preventing wealthy benefactors from taking control, unlike in the Premier League where foreign business magnates have acquired most clubs, enhancing competitiveness and helping bring in a slew of superstar players that in turn swell commercial and consumer interest in England’s top flight.
- German ticket prices are less than half those of England, The Telegraph reported, meaning Bayern have sought to maximize their commercial partnerships, such as with Qatar, to remain competitive on the continental stage.
- Bayern’s commercial income is the biggest in football globally, providing 58 percent of the club’s revenue in 2016-17, which totaled €587.8 million, down from €592 million a year earlier, according to Deloitte’s annual Money League. That compares with 46 precent at Barcelona, 45 percent at Real Madrid and 48 percent at Manchester United, with Bayern the only one of that quartet to suffer a revenue decline last season in home currency terms.


Chelsea’s Fernandez warns about ‘dangerous’ heat at Club World Cup

Updated 5 sec ago
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Chelsea’s Fernandez warns about ‘dangerous’ heat at Club World Cup

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez said the scorching heat at the Club World Cup in the United States left him feeling dizzy and described the high temperatures as “dangerous” to play in.
The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, which concludes on Sunday with Chelsea facing Paris Saint-Germain in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, has delivered a spectacle on the pitch but concerns over player welfare and lukewarm attendances in the US have sparked a debate.
Tuesday’s semifinal between Chelsea and Fluminense which took place at 3 p.m. local time in New Jersey saw temperatures soar past 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) with over 54 percent humidity, prompting a National Weather Service warning.
Soaring temperatures in several cities hosting the Club World Cup have been a focal point in the tournament, which is seen as a dry run for next year’s men’s World Cup.
“Honestly, the heat is incredible. The other day I had to lie down on the ground because I was really dizzy,” Fernandez told reporters on Friday.
“Playing in this temperature is very dangerous, it’s very dangerous. Moreover, for the spectacle, for the people who come to enjoy the stadium, for the people who watch it at home.
“The game, the speed of the game is not the same, everything becomes very slow.
“Well, let’s hope that next year they change the schedule, at least so that it remains a beautiful and attractive football spectacle, right?” the 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina added.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has also previously complained about the heat, saying it was “impossible” to organize regular training sessions in the afternoons in Philadelphia.
“Some places have been really hot, the last round was hot and I was stuck watching it and I was thinking: ‘wow, this is so tough.’ I felt bad for them but they managed it really well,” Chelsea center back Levi Colwill said.


Sinner unfazed by French Open collapse as he prepares for Alcaraz rematch

Updated 12 July 2025
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Sinner unfazed by French Open collapse as he prepares for Alcaraz rematch

  • Carlos Alcaraz had earlier dispatched US fifth seed Taylor Swift in four sets on Center Court
  • At Roland Garros, Alcaraz came back from two sets down against Jannik Sinner to win a fifth Grand Slam

LONDON: Jannik Sinner played down the impact of his painful defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final as he prepares for a rematch at Wimbledon on Sunday.

The world number one crushed seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in under two hours on Friday to set up a title showdown against the Spanish two-time defending champion.

Alcaraz had earlier dispatched US fifth seed Taylor Swift in four sets on Center Court.

Just weeks ago at Roland Garros, Alcaraz came back from two sets down against Sinner, saving three match points to win a fifth Grand Slam.

But Italy’s Sinner, 23, played down the lingering impact of that loss in the aftermath of Friday’s semifinal win against Djokovic.

“I think if it would be a lot in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again, I guess,” he said.

“I’m very happy to share once again the court with Carlos. It’s going to be difficult, I know that.

“But I’m looking forward to it. I try always to put myself in these kinds of situations that I really love. Sundays at every tournament are very special.”

The top seed said he would not be able to fully assess the lasting impact of his loss at Roland Garros until he stepped onto the court for his first Wimbledon final.

“I think it’s something what you feel before the match and also during the match,” he said. “I can give you answers after.

“But no, it’s different. Different match. I’m looking forward to it.”

Sinner, who has won three majors, said Alcaraz was the favorite to win a third straight title at the All England Club.

The Spaniard has the edge, winning eight of their 12 matches, including the past five.

“He won here two times in a row,” said Sinner. “He’s again in the final. It’s very tough to beat him on grass, but I like these challenges.

“I like to go head-to-head and trying to see what I can do and what I can reach.”

Sinner, who has shared the past six Grand Slam titles with Alcaraz, said it was too soon to compare their dominance with the era of the “Big Three” — Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“You cannot compare what the big three did for 15-plus years. Six Grand Slams are one-and-a-half years. It’s not that big yet.

“Of course, we find ourselves, again, in this position. This is the second consecutive Grand Slam that we are in the final and playing each other, which is great from my side.

“I believe it’s good for the sport. The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other.

“I’m happy to be in that position, but let’s see in the future. If we can make that happen for the next three, four years, then people can think about. Let’s see.”


Sudanese clubs seek league title amid civil war

Updated 12 July 2025
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Sudanese clubs seek league title amid civil war

  • A civil war in Sudan has not prevented clubs competing to be national champions and qualify for the 2025/26 Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions

JOHANNESBURG: A civil war in Sudan has not prevented clubs competing to be national champions and qualify for the 2025/26 Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions.
Here, AFP Sport also reports on why the Libyan championship play-offs will be staged in Europe, and a huge boost for Burkina Faso as they seek a maiden World Cup appearance.
An eight-club mini-league is being held in Sudan amid a civil war, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and trigged a massive hunger and displacement crisis, according to the United Nations.
Matches are being staged at two stadiums in a northeastern area controlled by the Sudanese army, who have been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.
The top two finishers, currently Al Hilal and Al Merrikh after three rounds, qualify for the Champions League while those coming third and fourth go into the second-tier Confederation Cup.
Al Hilal, winners of the Sudanese championship a record 30 times, have lost Democratic Republic of Congo-born coach Florent Ibenge to Tanzanian club Azam.
Ibenge joined the Omdurman outfit in 2022 and guided them to the Champions League quarter-finals last season despite being unable to play at home due to the civil war.
The 63-year-old Congolese inherits a club that finished third in the last Tanzanian title race behind Young Africans and Simba and will compete in the Confederation Cup.
Libya will stage the six-club national championship play-offs in Italian city Milan from July 15-31 instead of in the north African country owing to the political situation there.
The west of the nation, including the capital Tripoli, is run by a United Nations-recognized government, but a rival administration controls the east.
Leagues based in the west and east preceded the play-offs, which will feature the top three clubs in each — Al Ahly Tripoli, Asswehly, Al Ittihad, Al Ahly Benghazi, Al Hilal and Al Akhdar.
Yannick Ferrera has been named coach of five-time African champions Zamalek of Egypt in succession to Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who took Nigeria to the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The 44-year-old Belgian has coached in his homeland, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus and takes over a club that finished behind Al Ahly and reigning African champions Pyramids in the Egyptian league.
Coming third means the White Knights will miss out on the lucrative and prestigious Champions League, and must attempt to win the Confederation Cup a third time instead.
Burkina Faso will end years of homelessness by hosting Egypt during September in a 2026 World Cup Group A qualifier.
Renovations to the national August 4 Stadium in the capital Ouagadougou have been completed and approved for international fixtures by CAF inspectors.
The clash is critical for the Burkinabe Stallions as they trail the Pharaohs by five points with four rounds remaining and only the group winners are guaranteed a place at the global tournament.


PSG’s success lies in team ethic, not individual stars, says manager Luis Enrique

Updated 12 July 2025
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PSG’s success lies in team ethic, not individual stars, says manager Luis Enrique

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Paris St. Germain manager Luis Enrique emphasized on Friday that the key to his side’s resurgence is a collective team ethic rather than reliance on individual brilliance, as the French and European champions prepare to face Chelsea in Sunday’s Club World Cup final.
The Parisians, buoyed by their historic Champions League triumph a little over a month ago, are chasing their first Club World Cup title.
Luis Enrique has overseen a significant transformation at PSG, replacing departing stars Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe with a dynamic, youthful squad that embodies his total football philosophy.
Speaking at a press conference at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the Spaniard downplayed suggestions that he is the team’s central figure, instead crediting the players’ shared commitment to a common goal.
“I’m not a star... I like the work I do. I enjoy my career, especially during difficult times,” Luis Enrique said. “When things aren’t going well, I feel better. It’s nice when everything works out because the best thing about winning is making the people who follow us happy. I’ve been much better when I’ve been criticized than when I’ve been praised.”
Luis Enrique, who previously guided Barcelona to Champions League glory, hinted that this campaign could be among the finest of his managerial career but stressed that success would only be defined after Sunday’s final.
“Maybe this could be the best season of my coaching career. But there’s still a final to win. When we’ve won it, we’ll talk about it,” he said.
The Spaniard also highlighted the volatile nature of football, citing Manchester City’s recent struggles as a cautionary tale.
“We’ve seen Manchester City, for example. They won everything last year and then they lose 10 games and they’re crushed. Pep Guardiola is still the best coach in the world and they’re killing him. So I prefer criticism over praise because it makes you feel humble, it’s the crude reality.”
Luis Enrique reiterated his vision for a team-first approach, declaring, “We have to be a team with eleven stars, not just one or two. Not even eleven, maybe thirteen, fifteen stars... The real star should be the entire team. That’s what our club stands for. We’ll lose again soon, for sure. We want stars, but in the service of the team.”
PSG’s clash with Chelsea promises to be an enthralling encounter, with both sides vying to add a coveted international trophy to their respective honors. The Parisians will be aiming to cap off a groundbreaking year by lifting the Club World Cup for the first time in their history.


Jannik Sinner mauls Novak Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final

Updated 11 July 2025
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Jannik Sinner mauls Novak Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final

  • The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match
  • Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 percent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title

LONDON: Jannik Sinner crushed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals to set up the latest instalment of his gripping rivalry with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.

The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match — and his first at the All England Club — after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 demolition on Center Court on Friday.

The 23-year-old will be desperate to avenge his painful French Open defeat against world number two Alcaraz after squandering three championship points in last month’s epic Roland Garros final.

Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men’s tennis, claiming the past six majors between them.

Defeat on a baking Center Court means seven-time champion Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 percent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title.

It is the first time he has failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2017 and he has come up short in his bid to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles.

“It’s a tournament I always watched when I was young on the television and I would have never imagined that I can play here, you know in the finals, so it was amazing,” said Sinner.

“From my side, I served very well today, I felt great on court, I was moving really well today.

“We saw in the third set that he was a bit injured. He’s been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, to play the best tennis I can.”

Italy’s Sinner was still wearing a white protective sleeve after injuring his elbow in a nasty fall against Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round match.

Djokovic also came into the contest, watched by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, with questions over his fitness after tumbling to the turf late in his quarter-final victory against Flavio Cobolli.

Top seed Sinner broke Djokovic in the third game, unleashing a barrage of relentlessly accurate groundstrokes to wear the sixth seed down.

The Serb, 38, wilted under the onslaught in the ninth game as Sinner converted his third set point.

Sinner did not let up at the start of the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead to tighten his grip on the match.

Djokovic was struggling to gain a foothold but held for 3-1 to roars from the crowd, desperate to witness a classic battle.

Chants of “Nole” rang around the stadium as fans tried to lift Djokovic but he was powerless to prevent Sinner opening up a 5-2 lead.

He saved a set point on his own serve but that merely delayed the inevitable as Sinner wrapped up the set with only 69 minutes on the clock.

Djokovic received treatment from the trainer between sets on the upper part of his left leg, apparently on the area he hurt in the match against Cobolli.

He broke for the first time in the match as he suddenly found a new gear, but was pegged back to 3-2 and roared in frustration at the changeover.

Struggling physically, Djokovic was broken again as Sinner sealed victory with his fourth match point.

Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, returned from a doping ban in May, losing the Italian Open final to Alcaraz before his collapse in the Roland Garros showpiece.

Now he has chance for revenge against the man who has won the past two Wimbledon titles and is the current top dog on grass.

“It is a huge honor for me to share the court once again with Carlos,” he said. “We try to push ourselves to the limit, he is for sure one of the players I look up to.

“I love watching him, I think you all guys agree on that, what kind of talent he is but hopefully it’s going to be a good match like the last one.”

Sinner trails 8-4 in their head to head meetings, losing the past five matches.

The Italian can take heart from beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022, his rival’s last defeat at the All England Club.