Münchner Kindl meets Qatar: left-wing politicians call for a jersey change at FC Bayern

Created: 09/29/2022, 15:03

By: Antonio Jose Riether

The controversial partnership between FC Bayern and Qatar has already brought the record champions a lot of criticism, and now a politician is even demanding that the away jersey be changed.

Munich - The topic of Qatar is becoming more present again a few weeks before the start of the soccer World Cup at the end of November.

Especially at FC Bayern, which maintains business relations with the emirate, the topic has heated people's minds, and has been for years.

At the 2021 annual general meeting, for example, critical supporters tried to persuade the club to end its sponsorship with the state, which is accused of serious human rights violations.

Now the FCB jersey is also being criticized.

Politician demands change to FC Bayern jersey - city coat of arms and Qatar advertising not compatible

The trigger for the demand is one of the two shirt sponsors of the record champions.

Since the 2018/19 season, the state airline Qatar Airways has been advertising with its company logo on the left sleeve of Bayern jerseys.

The people of Munich benefit financially from the partnership, with the controversial sponsorship bringing around 17 million euros per season into the coffers of the Bundesliga champions.

The Qatar Airways lettering can also be seen on Bayern's new away jersey, emblazoned in gold on the sleeve of the white jersey.

The city coat of arms, the Munich Kindl, is also attached to the neck.

The Left Party is bothered by this, they are also demanding the removal of the logo and are looking for the support of the other factions in the city council.

The Munich child on the neck and the lettering "Qatar Airways" - that is not compatible for the Left Party.

© Kirchner-Media/imago

FC Bayern: Politicians for adjusting the jersey - "Behind FC Bayern is a company"

On Tuesday, Die Linke held an exchange on "Human rights in Qatar and football" in Munich City Hall, as reported by tz.de.

It once again became clear that the handling of the issue of Qatar by the best-known German football club is also causing a stir in politics.

Two Greens representatives and Tobias Ruff from the ÖPD took part in the event, but all other parties stayed away from the event.

The left-wing politician and human rights activist Thomas Lechner, who sits on the sports committee, also said: "We can't just see Bavaria as a sports club, there's a company behind it." The management team around club president Herbert Hainer has already shown a clear edge against criticism from the own ranks and has so far hardly been influenced by it.

FC Bayern: Munich's Mayor Reiter is happy about the city coat of arms on the jersey

The Bavarians confirmed this impression with the planning of the upcoming Qatar training camp for Bayern pros in January.

Added to this was the recent incident in the Sport1 double pass, when Honorary President Uli Hoeneß called on the show.

He claimed that the conditions for migrant workers had also improved as a result of Bavaria's involvement.

Several former Qatari migrant workers disagreed on this point at Tuesday's meeting, even calling these statements "completely false."

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The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

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There has been no reaction to the left-wing demand from the association so far.

When asked by tz, however, Mayor Dieter Reiter commented.

The SPD politician, on the other hand, is critical of the removal of the city coat of arms: “FC Bayern is a world-renowned image bearer for the city of Munich.

I'm happy that the club wears the coat of arms of the city on its shirt." The state, which advertises just a few centimeters from the coat of arms, is responsible for the deaths of 15,000 workers on the World Cup construction sites However, not a rider.