“We agreed to disagree on almost every single topic” – despite lengthy discussions with club, critical Bayern fan feels it was worth the battle

Bayern Munich might renew their sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways in the next couple of weeks despite fan protests. One of the leading protesters says he will be ashamed if the club renew the deal, but happy that Bayern took part in a public discussion.

”A renewal of the Qatar Airways deal would be a tragedy, since we are teaching young people that money comes above everything,” says Michael Ott, the lawyer who led the fan protests at the club’s AGM 18 months ago.

Why it matters: Fans are using their voice much more often in relation to club affairs. The new generation of fans always asks why before their club does something. Clubs need to prepare for many more protests in the future.

The perspective: Some demands from fans can seem rather unreasonable, but if clubs don’t communicate how they see their role in the community, the gap between fans and clubs or owners will only grow.