“If we want to win the Champions League …”

Bayern Munich’s President Herbert Hainer spoke again about the members’ criticism of Qatar in an interview with Welt am Sonntag. For the really big triumphs, highly endowed sponsoring is inevitable.

“If we want to play at the top and win the Champions League, we also need the necessary financial resources,” emphasized Hainer. Qatar Airways will allegedly pay the German record champions 17 million euros a year until 2023.

The former Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also had the financial aspect of the sponsorship contract with him in November WDR emphasizes: “Bayern Munich has a partnership with Qatar Airways, and I was never a Pharisee, if I may put it that way. We got good money from this contract.”

When asked about the turbulent annual general meeting, at which “Hainer out” shouts could be heard, the FCB president said: “It was not a pleasant thing. That hurt me personally, of course, because I’ve been a fan of this club from a young age.” He called for a different culture of debate: “This topic is complex and must be viewed in a more differentiated manner overall.”

Like Rummenigges successor Oliver Kahn, Hainer also left it open whether the contract with Qatar Airways will be extended beyond 2023: “As a rule, we deal with sponsorship six to nine months before a contract expires.” So the decision will be a while in coming.