Bavarian club, Bayern Munich has mutually ended its partnership deal with Qatar Airways following pressure from fans accusing the Qatari airline of Sports washing.
The Bundesliga club and the Qatari airline have been in partnership since 2018, and the contract between them runs out on June 30, 2023. The deal allowed the Airline’s logo to be printed on the sleeve of the club’s jersey.
The fans have been protesting against the Arab country’s human rights violations, and the continuous protest by the fans has necessitated a mutual end to the partnership .
The fans registered their displeasure through various workshops that picked on the Huma Right abuse in Qatar. They also brought migrants workers whose rights were really violated in Qatar to share their experience. During matches , fans displayed huge banners lambasting the management for running a deal with them.
Following the termination , Chairman of the Board of FC Bayern München, Jan-Christian Dreesen, expressed the club’s gratitude to Qatar Airways for their partnership and the exchange of cultural elements and wished them the best in the future.
“FC Bayern and Qatar Airways have worked together successfully and learned from each other. I would like to thank Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, for this. We wish all employees of Qatar Airways all the best for the future.” He said
Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO Qatar Airways: “Qatar Airways and FC Bayern Munich have had a fruitful partnership of years. FC Bayern is a great football club whose games we have followed with joy and passion. We wish the team all the best for the future.”
Prior to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Amnesty International reported on human rights infringement in Qatar on their website, stating that “Migrant workers including domestic workers continued to face a range of abuses, including wage theft, forced labour, exploitation and abuse despite reforms. Authorities repressed freedom of expression to silence critical voices. Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice and needed the permission of a male guardian to study, travel or marry. Laws continued to discriminate against LGBTI people, putting them at risk of arrest and torture.”