Bayern Munich AGM: bosses wary of more fallout over Qatar topic at annual meeting

It’s almost time for Bayern Munich Annual General Meeting (AGM), to take place tomorrow (October 15) at 6PM CEST. Last year’s event, if you’ll remember, was a little bit chaotic and resulted in a tense stand-off with lots of heat all around — and the topics in question are, if anything, even more relevant now, with the Men’s World Cup coming this November to Qatar and Bayern’s sponsorship partnership with Qatar Airways up for renewal.

While the organized efforts to press the club on the issue appeared to take the Bayern leadership by surprise last year, that’s no longer likely to be the case this time. Honorary president Uli Hoeneß has taken to the press a couple of times in recent weeks to lay the groundwork for his case for renewal, and the club — almost certainly on the same page there — have likely taken preparations in order to avoid the same fallout. As reported by Bild, captured via @iMiaSanMia:

On the other hand, convictions about this topic may not have simply ebbed over the course of the past year, and the club’s apparent position in opposition — along with the timeliness of the looming FIFA World Cup — may have done little to defuse the situation among those who wish for their club to take a different course.

Bayern have made efforts since last November in this regard. This July, they convened a round table on the Qatar question this summer and recently provided responses laying out their present positions and seeking to address the stated concerns ahead of the AGM. (We may yet cover this document in greater detail at BFW, so please stay tuned.)

Some topics, it seems, are meant to be uncomfortable and must be faced. At tomorrow’s AGM, we’ll find out where things currently stand.