Bayern Munich’s members’ meeting caused quite a bit of commotion on Thursday evening after the club’s board refused to respond to a question about a Qatari sponsorship deal. The meeting started harmoniously, but turned when the subject of Qatar came up. The 780 members present in the Audi Dome then treated the club’s directors to a hellish flute concert.
The meeting marked the first time Oliver Kahn took his word as Bayern director. The former goalkeeper spoke out against the Super League and investors, among other things, and got his hands dirty. “We are financially independent and healthy, that’s an important value,” said the president. “We certainly don’t have a group of investors or a multimillionaire. We are admired for that all over Europe. But it should also be clear that there is no reason to be careless or arrogant. We are currently going through the most fundamental change football has ever seen.”
Futbol Kulüpleri Demokratik sekilde nasil yönetilir Taraftarlar nasil bu isin icine cekilire en güzel ve güncel örnegi Dunki Bayern Munich in yillik oturumundan örnek verebilirim. Dun bu kotu yonetildi. Qatar üzerine gerceklesen bu harareti paylasmak istedim. pic.twitter.com/XGAHqGehBX
— E??re (@Ppoti1907) Nov 26, 2021
The mood turned when one of the members proposed to vote on the sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways. The subject was previously rejected by the court, as it was not seen as a suitable subject for the members’ meeting. Herbert Hainer, chairman of Bayern’s supervisory board, rejected the proposal. “The problem is you don’t care about human rights!” shouted one of the members. “Nothing has happened in terms of dialogue for years. Roundtables are announced time and again, but they never took place.”
When Kahn then slightly cynically suggested a roundtable discussion, he was laughed at by the audience. “The contract runs until 2023,” says Kahn. “We have set clear criteria on which we coordinate the collaboration. There are important requirements that we are looking at closely. We do the same with Qatar Airways. There are things we need to develop further. In principle, the dialogue should be conducted. That is still more important than exclusion.” President Herbert Hainer decided to end the meeting abruptly not much later, when several members wanted to speak.
In an ultimate attempt to calm the room, the members also refused to let Uli Hoeness finish. “We are Bayern Munich, not you,” chanted the members present. When leaving the room, Hoeness reacted to BILD visibly affected by the events. “I’m ashamed. This is the worst event I’ve ever seen at Bayern. I don’t want to say more about it.” Hainer declined to comment. “I don’t have to talk anymore today!” he told the German daily. Bayern does not intend to terminate the contract with the Qatari airline early.