– As players, we don’t have much of a say in where we go to training camp, when we have a sponsor who makes this possible. It is not a place I would go on holiday myself. But when the situation is like this, we travel down here, says Bragstad to news. It was in 2011 that the German senior team went to Qatar for a training camp in January for the first time. They have done so every year since, apart from 2022. Since 2018, the club has been sponsored by Qatar Airways. The men’s team returned to Germany on Thursday, while the women’s team arrived in Qatar on Tuesday. Among others on the flight to Qatar were the two Norwegian players Tuva Hansen and Emilie Bragstad and coach Alexander Straus. Qatar hosted the 2022 men’s football World Cup and has for several years been criticized for human rights violations in the country related to migrant workers and women’s rights. ON THE ROAD: Bayern Munich’s men’s team before departure to Qatar. Photo: Peter Kneffel / AP – Decisions made over our heads – Do you feel that you are part of sports laundering? – We don’t want to be part of that. It’s something we really don’t want, but we may feel it’s a difficult situation for us players. We are put in a bit of a bad situation, and don’t feel that we can do much about it, says Hansen. Jærbuen became a Bayern Munich player on 1 January, after playing in Brann for the past two years. Bragstad signed for Bayern last winter, but stayed in Rosenborg until the summer of 2022. – I feel these are decisions taken over our heads. It’s not like we can walk away and say we won’t join the training camp, says Bragstad. She says that they get good training in Qatar and that the players make the best of the situation. – We are footballers. We train well and prepare well for the start of the season. – What do you think could happen with a boycott? – It is difficult for us as individuals to be able to do anything about the fact that the club has decided that we will travel to Qatar for a training camp. What would have happened if the entire player group had boycotted the training camp is difficult to say, as we have already traveled down here, says Bragstad. IN QATAR: Tuva Hansen (tv) and Emilie Bragstad (th) are happy to be teammates in Bayern Munich, but understand the criticism directed at their training camp in Qatar. Photo: Skjermdump / news Open quarrels at the general meetings The members of the club have several times brought up the collaboration with Qatar Airways, most recently during the general meeting in October. Several high-ranking people in the club have responded that the collaboration has provided the necessary funds to keep the sporting level up. news has submitted several questions to Bayern Munich by e-mail, but has not received an answer at the time of writing. Expert on German football, Eivind Bisgaard Sundet, says it is a “very difficult situation” for the club. – It is a member-managed club, so the last two or three general meetings have ended in open arguments because of the cooperation with Qatar and that the fans believe that here Bayern Munich as a club should distance themselves from Qatar, says Sundet. EXPERT: Eivind Bisgaard Sundet is a Viaplay commentator and expert on German football. Photo: Viasat The sponsorship agreement expires this summer, but Bayern Munich boss Oliver Kahn tells Bild that they are in talks about a possible new agreement and that they want to discuss “sporting, economic and social topics”. Sundet understands that Hansen and the players feel that they are being put in a “slightly bad situation” and points to midfielder Leon Goretzka, who was also critical of the World Cup in Qatar. – It is difficult when you have the same people as sponsors. I think it is difficult for all parties at all levels in that club, quite simply, he says. Sundet believes that a boycott by individual players would not have been possible without major consequences for the players. – It would never have worked. Then they would have been kicked out. There is no doubt about where the power lies in Bayern Munich. It’s still in the boardroom. It is a member-owned club, but it is Oliver Kahn and the gang who still make the decisions, he says. Trained with the Qatari national team Bragstad says that they try to represent the club in a “good way” during their stay in Qatar: – We have been on school visits and have also had training with some little girls, to show that it is possible for them too. We try to make the best out of the situation, if you can say so. On Thursday, Bayern Munich’s women’s team also had a training session with what, according to Qatari media, were parts of the Qatari women’s national football team. – Do you understand the criticism, seen in the light of the football World Cup and the human rights issue? – We understand that people have opinions about it. Of course. But it is in a way a bit above us, we feel. In a way, the club controls it. We try to reflect our values from the club outwards, such as meeting school students and coaching girls’ teams. Show a little outwardly how we really think, concludes Hansen.
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