Bayern Munich fans air out comments, complaints in AGM 2023

Bayern Munich held its Annual General Meeting on Sunday, and part of the deal is that the venue is an opportunity for fans to air out their comments and grievances about the state of the club.

Via @iMiaSanMia, a selection of topics raised during this section of the meeting:

• a member emphasized that the club’s colours are red and white, wondering why Galatasaray played in their home kit at Allianz Arena while Bayern wore the away kit

• criticism of some fans who sold their tickets to Galatasaray fans at the recent champions league game

Bayern’s 2-1 win over Galatasaray on November 9 certainly had an away game feel, though that could be just what happens when the club selects a mostly white home jersey for the year.

• there should be more public training sessions to give the fans a chance to be close to the team

• a member gave a speech against racism and anti-Semitism and advocated that right-wing extremists should consistently be excluded from the club

• criticism of the traffic situation around Allianz Arena during the home games and how difficult it is to get to the upper tier of the stadium

• praise to the club for taking a protective stance for Thomas Tuchel after criticism from TV experts, saying: ‘Protect our coach’

• a member says he’d rather win ‘only’ 7 titles in the next 10 years and see more homegrown players with identification for the club being promoted than win the title with a 20-point gap every year while ignoring homegrown players (citing the example of Lukas Schneller as possible long-term Neuer successor)

The last point is an interesting proposition. Seven out of ten is not bad, though it must be said that Bayern do not always have a 20-point gap. Take last season, for example.

When it gets down to it, though, how many Bayern fans would be happy to give up a title? On the other hand, Bavarian lifers like Thomas Müller are special and increasingly rare to see in the modern game.

• a member suggests boycotting Sky interviews or just answer with ‘no comment’ if they continue ‘bullying’ the club, the coach and the players

It would not be a fandom without a deep conviction that certain or all media outlets are out to get them. And the referees. And UEFA. And...

• a member criticized letting [Josip Stanišić] and [Benjamin Pavard] go without a replacement and pointed out that the squad is currently too thin to win the Champions League compared to 2013 (29 players) and 2020 (27 players). Work to be done in January

This point has been raised many times before. Surely the Bayern front office realized that they had seven nominal defenders on the roster, three of which (Kim Min-jae, Noussair Mazraoui and Bouna Sarr) were due to miss several weeks in January? The transfers team has a task ahead of them after missing out on their Premier League targets on deadline day.

• a member criticized the sponsorship deal with Rwanda and quoted Human Rights Watch who said that this deal was a ‘very bad choice’ due to the human rights situation in Rwanda (“It’s just about money, human rights don’t matter”)

Bayern ended their partnership with Qatar Airways this summer but it seems they have not escaped sponsor controversy.