August 22 – Borussia Dortmund supporters have said they will continue their protest against their club’s sponsorship deal with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall at the start of the Bundesliga season.
In a statement on Wednesday, the fan group Südtribüne Dortmund said: “We firmly reject the idea 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 throw their own values overboard in the process. We will not do those responsible the favour of letting the matter rest – as the timing of the publication may have suggested. That should be clear to everyone involved.”
“With a view to the start of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt, we are therefore calling 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.”
In the days leading up to the Champions League final in London last season, Dortmund announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer that played a major role during both World Wars.
At the Wembley final, BVB fans seized the moment to deploy banners that criticised Dortmund’s new partnership with Rheinmetall.
Supporters accused the weapons manufacturer of laundering its reputation through football and the club. The banner read: ‘Rheinmetall: Mit dem Fußball zum Saubermann-Image?’ Below, a second banner spelled out: ‘Protecting BVB from sportswashing is our mission’.
At the time, Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke defended the deal, arguing that “when we see every day how freedom must be defended in Europe. We should deal with this new normality.”
The sponsorship deal reveals a shift in attitudes towards defence companies. Borussia Monchengladbach previously rejected a sponsorship deal with Rheinmetall on moral grounds according to Sportschau.
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