How Are Bayern Munich's Links with Qatar Changing German Football?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the evening of February the 20th, Aktuelles SportStudio - the German version of Match of the Day - was just kicking off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That weekend, Karl Heinz Rummenigge, the CEO of Bayern Munich, was a special guest on the programme.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having covered a number of different topics, the conversation turned elsewhere…</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When questioned about Bayern’s links with Qatar, Rummenigge prevaricated, talking about how Qatar was a "very young country with a different culture and different religion." At this point, the host interrupted: "Human rights abuses are not culture."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, we ask: What impact will Bayern’s sponsorship by Qatar Airways have on German football?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guests:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Matt Ford (<a href= "https://twitter.com/matt_4d">@matt_4d</a>) is a freelance football journalist who covers German football and fan culture whose work can be found at DW Sports.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Fischer (<a href= "https://twitter.com/alex_muc86">@alex_muc86</a>) is a fan of Bayern Munich and a member of Club Nr 12 (<a href= "https://twitter.com/clubnr12">@clubnr12</a>), an independent association of  Bayern fans.</span></p> <p>Support Us:</p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday</a></p> <p>Follow Us:</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/FT_Podcast_" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">@FT_Podcast_</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.footballtodaypodcast.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.FootballTodayPodcast.com</a></p> <p>Music:</p> <p>The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by <a href="http://www.sessions.blue/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Dot Sessions</a>.</p> <p>Individual Tracks:</p> <p><span