Rheinmetall to sponsor Borussia Dortmund in sign of shifting German attitudes to defence

Top football club Borussia Dortmund has announced a multiyear sponsorship deal with weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall, in the latest signal of how German attitudes towards the defence industry are shifting.

The deal allows Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturer to display its logo on stadium advertising boards and in the background at press conferences, although not on players’ shirts.

The sponsorship marks the first time a German defence company has sponsored a Bundesliga team, underlining the increasing economic and cultural clout of the arms industry in a country that has shunned any association with war because of its history as an aggressor in the 20th century.

“Security and defence are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, chair of the club, which is playing in the Champions League final on Sunday. “Especially today, when we see every day how freedom must be defended in Europe. We should deal with this new [normal].”

European arms companies have seized on the opportunity to rebrand themselves as defenders of democratic values. The chief executive of tank parts maker Renk, Susanne Wiegand, said in March said that defence companies were essential to ensure the west could protect the environment, “otherwise nobody will take care of windmills”.

But not everyone has been supportive of this shift. The German Peace Society — United War Resisters, a pacifist group, circulated a petition calling for the cancellation of the deal.

“An arms manufacturer that makes profits from building weapons that can kill or injure people and destroy entire neighbourhoods should not be a sponsor of Borussia Dortmund,” the organisers of the petition wrote.

“By choosing Rheinmetall as a sponsor, [the football club] is trampling on its values. Especially in a season with booming Champions League revenues, the club should not need this.”

Robert Habeck, vice-chancellor and economy minister, called the deal “unusual” on Wednesday, adding that “we . . . unfortunately have to admit that we are in a different, more threatening world”.

As well as ammunition, Rheinmetall manufactures infantry fighting vehicles, combat drones and the smoothbore gun that sits atop the Leopard 2 tank.

Dortmund last year generated €420mn in revenue, the second highest in Germany and the 12th across European football, according to Deloitte. The club brought in €188mn from commercial deals, including sponsorship, compared with €419mn at rival Bayern Munich.

The team came within minutes of winning the Bundesliga in the 2022-23 season, but finished fifth this year, its worst showing since 2015.

Borussia Dortmund is based in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state and home to the industrial Ruhr region. Its other sponsors include Evonik, one of Germany’s largest chemical companies, which is headquartered in nearby Essen.

Dortmund face Real Madrid in the Champions League final in London on Saturday, with the Spanish side heavy favourites to win for the 15th time.

This article has been amended to clarify that Robert Habeck is economy minister, not finance minister as originally stated