On the terraces: DR Congo demands Bayern end Rwanda deal, eastern German clubs criticise pyro fines

In a weekly Newsletter, Matt Ford keeps an eye on the action off the pitch in the Bundesliga and German football, explaining what’s going on from fan protests to finances.

Another week, another example of modern football's increasingly inextricable enmeshment in geopolitics. Just 18 months after terminating a controversial sleeve sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways, at least partly as a result of persistent fan protests, Bayern Munich are now being called upon to end a partnership with Rwanda by none other than the foreign minister of DR Congo, who has accused the Rwandan military of backing rebels in a violent uprising in the east of the country. Closer to home, over a dozen eastern German clubs and their active fan groups have demanded that heavy fines for pyrotechnics be scrapped, while Union Berlin fans still don't like Red Bull.

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Matt Ford's "On the terraces" newsletter will continue to appear every week throughout the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Last season, the newsletter featured exclusive and in-depth coverage of the Bundesliga's private equity plans and the political intrigues at VfB Stuttgart, among other things. If you like what you see, please consider taking out a paid subscription.