FC Bayern Munich’s annual general meeting is on Saturday. Again, it will also be about the controversial sponsorship of Qatar.
No question, the top club representative of FC Bayern Munich is also a fan of his club. “I love this club,” said FCB President Herbert Hainer on Sunday in an interview with BR sports presenter Julia Scharf on the “Blickpunkt Sport” program on BR television.
Three years ago, Niederbayer Hainer took over from Uli Hoeneß, who is now honorary president of the club. It was also three years of the pandemic, Hainer is “proud of how FC Bayern got through this pandemic”. On Saturday, October 15, the 68-year-old wants to be elected the top FC Bayern representative for a further three years at the annual general meeting including the presidential election.
Last annual general meeting ended in scandal
The number three is also important to him personally. If he can, he wants to continue to build the club on three pillars: maximum sporting success, economic stability and social responsibility. His term of office included winning the Champions League in 2020, but the topic of “Qatar sponsorship” in particular comes back to the fore – and also brings back memories of the latter Annual general meeting last year, which ended in a scandal.
“One mistake was that we didn’t discuss enough with the critical members to listen to their motives,” says Hainer in retrospect. Shouts of “Hainer out” echoed through the hall because an application against the sponsorship was not approved and the President stopped the meeting abruptly. A thwarted member stood on a chair and simply delivered his speech without a microphone. They were bizarre scenes.
Decision on Qatar sponsorship after World Cup
Since then, Herbert Hainer has been trying to take a different route, the President seeks dialogue with the fans and also drives to them. Something like 2021 shouldn’t happen again. This also includes the fact that a few months ago Hainer round table on “Qatar sponsorship” with representatives from the desert state, but also critical members.
The members’ criticism has resonated insofar as the contract, which runs until 2023, has not yet been extended. FCB will only decide after the World Cup in Qatar in November/December (and with the knowledge gained from it). “We’ll sit down after the World Cup and analyze: How was the partnership? Then talk to our partner. And then we’ll decide,” says Hainer.
Herbert Hainer promotes dialogue and transparency
In the “Blickpunkt Sport” program, however, in response to the criticism, he asked “whether it wouldn’t be a better way to significantly improve the conditions in Qatar through discussion, openness and transparency”.
“FC Bayern has always stood for dialogue, regardless of whether it’s with its fans, from all walks of life, through diversity, through respect and through transparency. And that’s what we want to do here and make a difference as a result.” Sport could “perhaps make the whole world a little bit better”.
Uli Hoeneß also defends Qatar partnership
Uli Hoeneß had in “Sunday regulars’ table” on BR television for an extension of the sponsorship and also advertised it with words similar to Hainer’s. “The World Cup and the commitment of FC Bayern and other sports activities in the Gulf region will mean that the working conditions for the workers there will be better and not worse,” said Hoeneß at Sport 1. the Fans had heavily criticized him for it.
Critical fan Ott is skeptical
Michael Ott, whose application against Qatar sponsorship was denied last year, continues to fight for the partnership to end. He also measures the future work of the association by this: “It is very important that you not only have nice conversations with members, but that you also take the criticism into account in your decisions. That is still completely open, and that will be important “, he says in the BR Sport exclusive interview.
