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.


Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win

Updated 9 sec ago
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Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win

  • Defeat was first for reigning champions in the league in 46 games since May 2023

RIYADH: Al-Hilal lost 3-2 at Al-Khaleej on Saturday, a result made even more stunning as the all-conquering champions had been winning 2-0.

It is a defeat, a first in the league in 46 games since May 2023, that not only blows the title race wide open but shows that the champions are not invincible.

Al-Ittihad will go two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League if they beat Al-Fateh on Sunday. It also means that Al-Nassr stay five points behind and are not out of the running.

The Blues had the better of the play from the beginning and few were surprised when Marcos Leonardo put the leaders ahead after just 12 minutes.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic won the ball on the edge of the area as Khaleej tried to play out from the back and there was Leonardo to stroke a low shot home.

Eight minutes before the break, Aleksandar Mitrovic struck with his 12th goal in the SPL this season. Salem Al-Dawsari, such a big miss for Saudi Arabia in recent World Cup qualifiers, curled over a corner and there was the Serbian striker to head home.

It seemed to be all over but then the hosts were handed a lifeline on the stroke of half time. Kalidou Koulibaly made a clumsy challenge in the area and while Yassine Bounou saved the penalty from Konstantinos Fortounis, Abdullah Al-Salem reacted the quickest to shoot the rebound home.

Al-Salem stunned Al-Hilal soon after the restart with a stunning goal. The hosts made uncharacteristic defensive mistakes and Khalid Narey fed the ball  to the 31 year-old who chipped Bounou delightfully from the right side of the area.

With five minutes remaining, Fabio Martins side footed home from another Narey assist to provoke wild celebrations as Al-Khaleej move into sixth. Al-Hilal stay top but maybe not for much longer.

 


Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Updated 23 November 2024
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Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

  • James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
  • City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool

MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.


Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Updated 23 November 2024
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Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

  • Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
  • Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal

LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”


Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

Updated 23 November 2024
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Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

  • Saudi team secures 6-5 victory over Egyptian opponents in final match

DUBAI: The Riyadh polo team have successfully defended their title as Chestertons MENA Polo in the Park champions for a second year after defeating their Cairo rivals in Dubai on Saturday.
The Saudi team secured a 6-5 victory over their Egyptian opponents in the final match, which was held at Dubai’s Desert Palm Polo Club.
Amr Zidan, chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, awarded the championship trophy to Khalid Al-Omran, the Riyadh team captain.
Representing Riyadh alongside Al-Omran were Rayan Al-Ajaji, and professional players Santos Iriarte (Argentina) and Guillermo Li (Peru).
The tournament featured four teams: Riyadh, Cairo, London, and Dubai.
It was the second Chestersons Polo in the Park event to be held in the Middle East after having been held in London for over a decade.


Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

Updated 23 November 2024
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Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

  • “I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach,” Djokovic said
  • Murray said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change”

BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic announced on Saturday that his retired long-time rival Andy Murray is joining the 24-time Grand Slam-winning player’s coaching team, starting at the Australian Open in January.
“I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach. I look forward to starting the season with Andy and having him by my side in Melbourne, where we’ve shared many exceptional moments throughout our careers,” Djokovic said in a statement.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion who retired from competitive tennis in August, said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change.
“I’m also grateful for the opportunity to help him achieve his goals for the upcoming year.”

Djokovic posted a video on X of him and Murray during the Scotsman’s playing career, jokingly titled: “He never liked retirement anyway.”
The 37-year-old Serb has won the Australian Open a record 10 times, defeating Murray in four finals.
Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam in 2024 and has slipped to seventh in the world, although he did land the Olympic singles title in Paris.