- Al-Khelaifi has faced scrutiny for holding multiple important roles in the sport
- Bayern fans have previously had strong feelings about Qatari influence in football
- Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
It was an awkward trip for PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi on Tuesday night – after Bayern Munich ultras unfurled a banner telling him to ‘f*** off’.
The German giants have apologised for multiple signs which were unfurled mocking him during their 1-0 Champions League win.
Al-Khelaifi is on UEFA’s executive committee and is also chairman of the European Club Association, an independent body which represents teams and endorsed Champions League reform. He is also chairman of the Qatari BeIN Media Group, who are major broadcasters of the Champions League, and Qatar Sports Investments, PSG’s owners.
He has often been scrutinised for holding multiple jobs which might be perceived to hold conflicts of interest.
And Bayern ultras in the Sudkurve were more than happy to make their feelings known during the first half – ironically above a Qatar Airways advertisement.
‘Minister, club owner, TV rights holder, UEFA ExCo member & ECA chairman all in one?’ one banner asked.
Bayern Munich fans unfurled banners telling PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi to ‘f*** off’
Al-Khelaifi, who holds multiple roles with potentially conflicting interests, was in the stands as his side lost 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night
Bayern fans also called him ‘plutocratic’ and have opposed Qatari involvement in the past
‘F*** off plutocratic Al-Khelaifi,’ read another.
One square banner simply showed the 51-year-old with a giant red line drawn through his face.
Bayern Munich supporters, and indeed wider Bundesliga fans, have long shown vehement opposition to Qatari involvement in shaping the global game.
In November 2022 they displayed a banner which read ‘5,000 deaths for 5,760 minutes of football – shame on you’ ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
Last year, Bayern and Qatar Airways ended their sleeve sponsorship which had been worth 20million euros per season. Qatar chiefs had reportedly been unhappy with the club failing to condemn their fans’ opposition to them.
Apologising for their fans’ banner in the PSG match, which Bayern won 1-0 thanks to Kim Min-jae’s first-half goal, the Bundesliga behemoths wrote: ‘FC Bayern would like to apologise when its opponents and their representatives in its stadium feel personally attacked in this manner and tone and are offended as a result.
‘The club would like to make clear that these banners were not authorised by FC Bayern and do not reflect its stance. They are not in keeping with the good and long-standing relationship between the two clubs.
‘The tone of these banners also goes against the style of FC Bayern and the respectful relationship the club has with its international partners.’
