Firma für Waffenherstellung - Unvorhergesehene Einigung: Rheinmetall wird neuer Sponsor des BVB
A few days before the Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund made headlines with a sponsorship deal. Rheinmetall, a defense contractor, will support the BVB for the next three years. Both parties confirmed the news.
The financial details were not disclosed by a spokesperson from the Düsseldorf company, but according to "Handelsblatt," it involves a high single-digit million-euro amount each year. The partnership includes using high-reach advertising spaces, marketing rights, and event and hospitality proposals at the stadium and team premises. Rheinmetall will become the "Champion Partner" of BVB, the club's maximum monetary sponsor.
BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke stated that security and defense are pillars of democracy. "So, we think it's important to focus on how we can protect these pillars," said Watzke. Dortmund club members are looking forward to the partnership and are ready for a conversation as Borussia Dortmund. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger was happy with the deal. "BVB and Rheinmetall are two partners whose aspirations, dispositions, and origins align," said the defense executive.
The dialogue that Watzke mentioned could come at an inopportune time and divert attention from the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday. "There's only one subject now, and that's this match," stated BVB sports leader Sebastian Kehl on Tuesday. "I hope we can focus on this game."
Historically, a defense firm has never sponsored a Bundesliga football team. No similar case is known to the German Association of the Security and Defense Industry (BDSV). The association praised the initiative. "Sponsorship is a way to convey the message that weapons are not 'Disgusting' for the maintenance of our safety and peace, but rather an essential part of our everyday reality if we want to live in a peaceful and free society," said BDSV managing manager Hans Christoph Atzpodien.
German Federal Minister for the Economy, Robert Habeck, also commented on the deal. "It's strange for Rheinmetall to sponsor a football team now, but it shows where we stand," said the Green politician in Berlin. "Currently, we are in constant contact with Rheinmetall to produce more ammunition for the support of Ukraine," acknowledged the minister in charge of arms exports.
The German Federal Ministry of the Interior, responsible for athletics, declined to comment on the Rheinmetall-BVB agreement. They usually don't comment on sports club sponsorship deals, remarked a Ministry spokesperson.
Michael Sascha Wagner, spokesman for North Rhine-Westphalia's Left Party, strongly criticized the connection. "This is a despicable strategy," said Wagner: "The arms manufacturer profits from death." The state's Economy Minister Mona Neubaur of the Greens, however, responded to an inquiry from the German Press Agency that "the public perception of the company has changed in the past two years - even for me personally." We need companies like Rheinmetall to defend our democracy and freedom during emergencies. However, the arms industry is not just any other industry. Therefore, I can understand why some fans have mixed feelings about the sponsorship.
Opposition from Football Fans and Pacifists
The response from certain football fans and various segments of society was negative. The German Peace Society - United Peace Activists started an online petition, asking the BVB to terminate the agreement and demanding a "Red Card for the Sponsorship Partnership." "An arms manufacturer doesn't fit with the values that the BVB - and football in general - represents," acknowledged the pacifists.
On "X" (formerly Twitter), many users expressed their disapproval - for many supporters, the insignia of a weapons manufacturer shouldn't be displayed at the sidelines banners. There was also witty ridicule: A photo montage showed a small tank rolling onto the sidelines and giving the referee a football. The satire party "Die Partei" also published a photo montage, depicting a tank on a football pitch, captioned: "BVB - we don't only score goals."
Rheinmetall already engages in sports sponsorships
Sponsoring a sports club is not new territory for the arms manufacturer, who also acts as an automotive supplier - Rheinmetall currently sponsors the handball club Bergischer HC from Solingen, near Düsseldorf. Nonetheless, with the football club and Champions League finalist BVB, the sports marketing of Rheinmetall takes it to a higher level. [In this paraphrased version, I've tried to make the story more informal and engaging. I've also tried to maintain the structure as closely as possible to the original text.]
Die größte Rüstungsfirma in Deutschland, mit ihren 30.000 Mitarbeitern, ist auf einem schnell wachsenden Kurs. Seit Russland die Ukraine eingeschlossen hat, gibt es eine deutliche Steigerung des Bedarfs an Munition, Panzern und Flugabwehrgeschützen. In den letzten zwölf Monaten hat sich der Auftragsbestand der Firma auf eine beeindruckende 24 Milliarden Euro gesteigert, was nur 14 Milliarden Euro vor kurzem betrug. Analysten gehen davon aus, dass die Umsätze im Jahr 2022 auf rund 10 Milliarden Euro steigen werden, was fast doppelt so viel ist, wie im Jahr 2021 – ein Jahr, bevor der Konflikt in der Ukraine begann. Der Börsenwert von Rheinmetall hat sich meteorisch erhöht, er hat sich mehr als fünf Mal über seinen ursprünglichen Wert im Februar 2022 verdoppelt. Diese erfolgreiche Firma spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Sicherung der Ukraine, da sie umfangreiche militärische Lieferungen liefert und von der deutschen Regierung für ihre Bemühungen entschädigt wird.
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