German football champions Bayern Munich ignored concerns about abusive labour conditions in Qatar before signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with the Gulf state’s national carrier, campaigners claimed Wednesday.
Germany’s most successful team has struck a series of sponsorship deals with Doha’s international airport and Qatar Airways since 2016 despite repeated criticisms of the Gulf nation’s treatment of migrant construction workers.
The club sought advice from the German government in late 2016 as it embarked on negotiations with Qatar Airways Group because of the potential controversy surrounding any deal, according to Norwegian news website Josimar.
Angela Merkel’s government asked researchers from Human Rights Watch (HRW) to look into the implications. The group wrote in a memo that any agreement “poses a serious risk to the club’s reputation,” according to a memo seen by Josimar and confirmed by sources.
“Any agreement that involves the use of Bayern Munich’s brand and global reach to either directly or indirectly promote the image of Qatar will inevitably lead to accusations … that it is involved in an exercise in reputation laundering,” the memo said.
The memo, reportedly passed to the club via Mrs Merkel’s office, said that the club should express its support for labour reforms and changes to the foreign workers visa system. It included a suggested statement if the club wanted to press ahead with the deal.
The group said its advice was ignored and the club’s director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge attracted the scorn of the team’s fans after claiming in January that conditions for workers had improved “thanks to football”.
Qatar Airways replaced German airline Lufthansa as one of the club’s sponsors in February, signing a five-year deal, to expand its commercial commitments to the club. The airline also took over the deal to sponsor the shirt sleeves of players from Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
The deals were controversial as the club has a strategy of working with other major German brands – such as Adidas and Audi – to promote the club and the nation’s industries. Lufthansa had been the club’s ‘official carrier’ since 2004.
The announcement of the new sponsorship agreement came after the German head of HRW, Wenzel Michalski, said that the club had failed to live up to its obligations.
“Bayern is a company with statutes and values, and their silence on the issue contradicts the values the club claims to champion,” he told Deutsche Welle.
Mr Michalski said there must have been a “misunderstanding” after Mr Rummenigge claimed that he was told by Germany’s former foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel that workers’ conditions had improved because of football.
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Bayern Munich did not respond to requests for comment but told Josimar that workers’ rights in Qatar had improved. It said that the Gulf state was already a major investor in German companies including Siemens and Volkswagen.
The club said at the time of the 2016 agreement, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the former foreign minister, “described the deal as a regular business partnership between German and Qatari companies.”
The commercial agreements are part of an increasingly close relationship between the club and Qatar.
Bayern holds an annual winter training camp in Qatar and German media have speculated that the team’s veteran star Franck Ribery could see out his career with a lucrative final contract in the Gulf state from next year.
The sponsorship of the Germany side follows the state’s coup in securing the right to host the 2022 World Cup after a controversial process and accusations of graft and influence peddling.
Qatari money has also seen Paris Saint-Germain become one of the wealthiest clubs in the world with a sufficiently large transfer pot to be able to snatch Brazilian striker Neymar from Spanish giants Barcelona.
Company%20Profile
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
ETFs explained
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Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Indika
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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