July 7 – Bayern Munich’s chief executive Oliver Kahn has defended the club’s contentious sponsorship agreement with World Cup hosts Qatar.
Kahn says he’s sure their partnership has helped bring positive change to the Gulf state while Bayern president Herbert Hainer said improvements to human rights issues cannot be expected to “happen overnight”.
The build-up to the World Cup continues to be marred by allegations of human rights abuses against migrant workers. Bayern’s players wear the national carrier Qatar Airways logo on their shirts as part of a sponsorship agreement that expires in 2023.
During a panel discussion organised by the club’s fans, Kahn noted that Bayern had “several talks” with Qatari officials, including a recent meeting with Qatari representatives in London to discuss tolerance and diversity.
“These are the discussions that are very, very important to me personally,” Kahn said. “I think that’s how we can move forward step by step.”
Hainer agreed. “Of course, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Hainer said. “But democracy in Germany didn’t occur overnight. It was also a development process.”
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