Protests against sponsor are imminent
Dortmund South Stand rebels against Rheinmetall
The partnership between the football club Borussia Dortmund and the arms company Rheinmetall, which was announced shortly before the Champions League final, is still causing a stir around the Westfalenstadion. Massive protests have been announced for the weekend.
The South Stand Dortmund fan alliance has announced protests against the Bundesliga football club's sponsorship deal with the arms company Rheinmetall. According to the agreement, Borussia's season opener on Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) Actions are planned against Eintracht Frankfurt. The fans want to express their displeasure over the controversial partnership between BVB and the Düsseldorf-based DAX company, which was concluded at the end of May.
“We will not let ourselves be used as your pawn. We firmly reject the fact that those responsible at BVB and all its committees have agreed to use Borussia Dortmund's appeal to improve the public image of an arms company and in doing so throw their own values overboard,” it said in a statement.
The fan alliance therefore called on “every single Borussia fan and every fan club to bring their displeasure about the deal with Rheinmetall to the stadium. Please prepare signs and/or banners with which you can express your criticism at the start of the second half.”
Fans accuse club management of “extensive calculation”
After the Rheinmetall deal was announced, there was criticism from pacifists, human rights organizations and also some fans. The partnership reportedly includes the use of high-reach advertising space, marketing rights and event and hospitality offers in the stadium and on the club grounds. BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke pointed out that security and defense are cornerstones of democracy. “That's why we think it's the right decision to focus very intensively on how we protect these cornerstones.”
The fan alliance complains that it was not involved in the decision-making process: “At no point were fan representatives involved. The impression that has arisen in the public that fan representatives were consulted when the decision was made regarding the deal with Rheinmetall is incorrect.” It also accused the club's management of “extensive calculation.” The announcement of the partnership shortly before the Champions League final was an attempt to deliberately overshadow this “controversial decision with the reporting surrounding the final.”
