Annual General Meeting: Herbert Hainer remains President of FC Bayern Munich

Herbert Hainer remains President of FC Bayern Munich.

The 68-year-old was re-elected by a large majority at the annual general meeting of the record German soccer champions. The former boss of the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas received 1092 yes votes. At the time of voting, 1395 voting members were present in the Munich Audi Dome. 218 voted against Hainer, 85 abstained. When he was elected to succeed Uli Hoeneß three years ago, Hainer received 98.1 percent approval.

“I’m happy to accept the election. I won’t disappoint them,” said Hainer. The Vice-Presidents Dieter Mayer and Walter Mennekes were also confirmed in their offices with a clear majority.

Hainer: Qatar “certainly played along”

Hainer also attributes the mediocre result to the controversy surrounding the Qatar sponsorship of the record German soccer champions, which Munich fan circles view extremely critically. “The topic certainly played its part,” said the 68-year-old at a press conference following the annual general meeting.

1092 members voted for Hainer’s second term of office. 218 voted no. The approval for the former Adidas boss was 83.3 percent. Three years ago, Hainer was elected successor to Honorary President Uli Hoeneß (70) with a top result of 98.1 percent yes votes.

However, given the tumult at the annual convention last year, the memo of the members did not seem to depress him particularly. “All in all, the meeting went very well,” commented Hainer: “I’m very happy that the members appreciate the work of the last twelve months and the dialogue.”

Qatar will remain an issue

The issue of Qatar will continue to occupy the fully re-elected Presidency, but also the Executive Board around Oliver Kahn. The partnership with the airline Qatar Airways will expire next summer. Hainer said that further cooperation would only be negotiated after the World Cup in the emirate at the end of the year. In addition to “the economic component”, “joint projects” are also decisive for FC Bayern when it comes to sponsorship contracts.

The Gulf state of Qatar has been heavily criticized for violations of labor and human rights. In the end, the maxim when making a decision is “what is best for FC Bayern”. Hainer admitted that the difficult issue of Qatar “sometimes causes headaches” for him as president.