May 30 – On the eve of the Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund have announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest weapons manufacturer.
The sponsorship agreement allows Rheinmetall to display its logo on stadium advertising boards and in the background at press conferences but excludes exposure on players’ shirts.
It’s the first time that a German weapons company will sponsor a Bundesliga club. Rheinmetall sponsors Bergische HC in handball and Capitol Bascats Düsseldorf in basketball.
“Security and defence are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy,” said Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke. “Especially today, when we see every day how freedom must be defended in Europe. We should deal with this new [normal].”
The sponsorship deal reveals a shift in attitudes towards defence companies in a country that has historically shied away from war because of its role in World War I and World War II in the 20th century. Germany’s finance minister Robert Habeck called the deal “unusual” on Wednesday and added that “we . . . unfortunately have to admit that we are in a different, more threatening world”.
“An arms manufacturer that makes profits from building weapons that can kill or injure people and destroy entire neighbourhoods should not be a sponsor of Borussia Dortmund,” wrote the German Peace Society in a petition. By choosing Rheinmetall as a sponsor, [the football club] is trampling on its values. Especially in a season with booming Champions League revenues, the club should not need this.”
Germany’s Handelsblatt reported that Dortmund will gain €20 million every season. Last year, the club generated €420 million in revenue.
Rheinmetall is not without controversy. In 2018, Stern and Report Munchen wrote that the manufacturer sidestepped a government export ban on weapons to Saudi Arabia by supplying to the Arab Kingdom via subsidiaries in Italy and South Africa.
On Saturday, Dortmund return to the Champions League final for the first time since 2013 when they lost in London against rivals Bayern Munich. This time, at the same venue, they take on Real Madrid, who will go in search of their 15th European Cup.
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