"It's only better for your own conscience, Uli H.!": Bayern fans criticize Hoeneß for Qatar statements

Created: 10/01/2022 10:12 am

By: Antonio Jose Riether

The club's partnership with Qatar is a hot topic for active FC Bayern fans.

After the recent statements by Uli Hoeneß, they protested again against the sponsorship from the emirate.

Munich – Things are going well again at Bayern, with the 4-0 win over Leverkusen the fans celebrating again after four Bundesliga games without a win.

However, many supporters didn't just feel like celebrating, because in addition to the normal support in the south curve, criticism was also voiced again.

This was again for the club and even more so for Uli Hoeneß, who dubiously defended Bayern's engagement in Qatar and discredited Qatar critic Andreas Rettig as the "king of hypocrites" when he spontaneously called in a "double pass".

FC Bayern: South curve criticizes Uli Hoeneß after controversial double pass statements

The statements by Hoeneß, who said, for example, that "FC Bayern's commitment (...) means that the working conditions for the workers there are getting better and not worse," were not well received by the audience and their own fans .

Shortly afterwards, three former guest workers made it clear at an event in Munich that the statements were "grossly false".

Uli Hoeneß surprised in the last Doppelpass program in September with a spontaneous call and made a plea for Qatar.

© Clemens Niehaus/imago-images

In particular, the vehemence with which Hoeneß defended his point of view last Sunday ("One should finally accept that and not constantly hit people.") gives an idea that the exploitation, suffering and deaths of guest workers in Qatar have left quite a trace on the Bavaria Honorary President pass.

According to Amnesty International reports, more than 15,000 foreign workers, including at least 9,000 from Asia, died on the World Cup construction sites in Qatar.

FC Bayern: Provocative banner against Hoeneß – "It's only better for your own conscience"

The active fan scene is apparently uncomfortable with the fact that Hoeneß defends a state in which human rights are massively disregarded on live TV and imagines himself in the role of a missionary.

That's why the fan scene rolled out several banners during Bayern's home game against Leverkusen.

"State visits, training camps, thousands of deaths to celebrate the World Cup... It's only better for your own conscience, Uli H.!", read the three banners.

"State visits, training camps, thousands of titles for World Cup celebrations... it's only better for your own conscience, Uli H.!" That's how the fans criticized the honorary president.

© imago/Frank Hoermann

The Bavarians have been flying to Qatar for their training camp since 2011, and since 2018 the logo of the state airline "Qatar Airways" has adorned the sleeve of the jersey.

However, the contract with the state-owned company ends in 2023, and there is still no information about the continuation of the contract.

The recently scheduled Qatar training camp in January is also a hot topic, as can be seen from the fans' banners.

Many supporters see the renewed stay of the Bayern pros in Doha as a tendency towards a contract extension with "Qatar Airways".

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Qatar issue caused chaos at FC Bayern's annual general meeting last year

Only last year, at the annual general meeting, supporters called for the end of the sponsorship with the emirate, but the club's top management rejected the requests, after which the event was broken off in chaotic conditions.

The next general meeting will take place on October 15th, at which the members of the association - if they are allowed to - can draw attention to the grievances.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

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So far, the criticism has died down, also because the association knowingly missed several opportunities to deal critically with the topic.

According to several invitations to the topic of Qatar with former workers, which were denounced by supporters at the AGM, they went completely unanswered.

The club only responded years after the fans' initial invitation, holding a round table with representatives from both camps in July.

Nevertheless, the winter training camp in Qatar is set, but first the world championship will take place in the emirate on November 20th.