The annual general meeting of FC Bayern Munich was much quieter than last year. Nevertheless, two topics in particular, including a well-known one, provided material for discussion. SPOX does a fact check and classifies the two points of contention.
After the chaotic and emotionally charged annual general meeting about a year ago, a clear contrast could be seen. There was a largely factual exchange between the members and the executive committee around Herbert Hainer and Oliver Kahn, which was also due to the much more open communication – both before and during the event – by the FCB managers.
Nevertheless, the JHV again shaped the Qatar sponsorship, which was controversial because of the human rights violations in the emirate and which, as expected, was discussed intensively throughout. With the always eagerly awaited speeches at the end, another barrel was opened: the lack of youth work in the eyes of many fans and its consequences. SPOX takes the two subjects under the burning glass.
The annual general meeting in the live ticker to read.
FC Bayern – Qatar: FCB have learned from their mistakes, but…
When member Rudi Grabmeier, during the speeches shortly before the election of the presidency, pleaded for “letting the issue of Qatar rest”, a veritable murmur went through the Audi Dome. Scattered applause was quickly drowned out by loud shouts, some of which were riddled with expletives. Even during Hainer’s opening speech, in which he apologized for the way the AGM 2021 ended, including the premature termination, it was clear that the issue of Qatar was far from over.
First of all: FC Bayern has learned from many of its mistakes – even if the content of the situation hasn’t actually changed. The open exchange has visibly increased tension not only at the AGM, but especially in the run-up to various discussion rounds and round tables. Critics such as lawyer Michael Ott, whose application to stop sponsorship was rejected last year, felt that the club was taking it seriously. However, there is still a long way to go before there is complete satisfaction among the members.
This is underlined by the 78.2 percent for Hainer when he was re-elected. What actually represents a clear majority is, at second glance, clear confirmation that the past year has not left its mark on the members. When he took office, with 98.1 percent, he seamlessly joined his predecessors Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeneß and Karl Hopfner, who all received over 97 percent of the votes. But within three years he lost almost 20 percent. A reminder!
Bayern Presidents: The previous election results
Uli Hoeneß 2009 as successor to Franz Beckenbauer: 99.3 percent
Uli Hoeneß 2012: 97.1 percent (until entering prison in 2014)
Karl Hopfner 2014: 99.6 percent (until Hoeneß returned in 2016)
Uli Hoeneß 2016: 97.7 percent
Herbert Hainer 2019: 98.1 percent
The fact that Hainer and Co. again avoided a clear answer as to whether the partnership with Qatar Airways, which is due to expire next year, will certainly also play a role in the result. Ott’s clear words that the management’s attitude would “finally instrumentalize” the club did not lead to any commitment. “I can’t answer this question with yes or no today,” said Hainer, who repeatedly referred to the talks after the World Cup in winter and the subsequent analysis.
Kahn stated in his speech that he “respects the opinion of some fans”. He justified the cooperation by saying that “progress had been made” in Qatar in terms of labor and human rights and thus hit a similar notch as Uli Hoeneß when he called im sports1-One pass.
It was also the Honorary President, who was actually only a spectator that evening, who used his own example to show the fundamental problem for the members when dealing with the Qatar sponsorship: the lack of recognition of fan opinion. Because when he left the hall for a short time after the presidential election, he took on Ott personally.
“Your appearance was embarrassing! This is the Bayern Munich football club and not the general meeting of Amnesty,” he scolded the lawyer and was therefore out of the ordinary in terms of the factual dialogue between the club’s management. Hoeneß would show no interest in that anyway, as Ott later told the picture explained.
“I told him that the Bayern Munich football club should also respect human rights, but he didn’t want to hear my answer at all,” Ott is quoted as saying, confirming that at least some of the high-ranking men at Bayern Munich – including Hoeneß always – despite the round tables and debates – still not paying due respect to the opinion of the fan site.
