Bayern Munich said on Wednesday that they had opted not to continue their sponsorship relationship with Qatar Airways, which had long been contentious due to worries about the country’s human rights record.
Both parties announced that their five-year cooperation would come to an end on June 30 “by mutual agreement” in a joint statement.
“The connections that FC Bayern has been able to forge with its fans in the Arab world through Qatar Airways will remain,” the statement said.
Bayern’s new CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said the team and Qatar Airways “have worked together successfully and learned from each other”.
Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways’ chief executive, wished Bayern “all the best for the future”.
“FC Bayern is a great football club whose games we have followed with joy and passion,” he added.
The largest club in Germany has long been criticised for its associations with Doha and the state-owned airline in connection with alleged violations of human rights, particularly in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Members disrupted the club’s 2021 general assembly with boos and chanting calling for the tie with the Gulf state to be severed.
The German national team backtracked on a commitment to wear a “One Love” armband in support of human rights and diversity during last year’s World Cup, blaming the decision on FIFA threats of on-field sanctions.
The German team posed with their hands covering their mouths before the first game of the competition, issuing a statement that they had been silenced by the sport’s regulatory body.
Germany was eliminated from the World Cup group stage for the second time in a row, but the players denied being distracted by off-field incidents.
