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It’s official — Bayern Munich have announced a new partnership with German car giants Audi. The Ingolstadt-based automaker will continue to be the exclusive automobile partner for the German Rekordmeister, extending the existing deal which was supposed to run until 2025. The new deal, rumored to be worth around €500m total, is set to run for 10 years until 2029.
Speaking about the partnership, Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said (fcbayern.com),
I’m very happy about the early extension to our partnership with Audi. For FC Bayern, this agreement is an important strategic step into the future. FC Bayern and Audi have now been working together for more than one and a half decades in a way that is trustful, earnest and beneficial to both brands. Now it’s assured that this partnership will continue for almost 10 more years.
According to Bild, the deal is worth €50m a season, up significantly from the previous deal which was worth €35m per season. The club probably has BMW to thank for that — their attempts to sponsor Bayern (which ultimately fell through) are probably what pushed Audi to extend the existing deal 5 years before completion. The German automaker shouldn’t feel too bad, though — they own an 8.33% stake in the club, meaning that the deal is mutually beneficial.
This added cash gives Bayern extra firepower to compete with the big boys of Europe, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. In terms of value, €50m a season is a huge coup for the Bayern bosses, given that Audi is simply an automobile partner. For comparison, Chevrolet pay Man United a mammoth €75m a year, and they get to put their name on the shirt. Serie A giants Juventus get only €20m a year from Jeep (rumored to increase to €50m soon) for the privilege of being a shirt sponsor.
The fact that Audi felt the need to pay so much speaks to the strong value of the Bayern Munich brand, and we might expect to see similar increases in sponsorship revenue when other deals come up for renewal.