Bayern Munich in spat with China fans over boy band endorsement
- Newly crowned European champions accuse supporters of ‘hurling abuse’ over a public-relations campaign gone wrong
- Chinese fans take to Twitter-like Weibo to vent their anger over club’s endeavours to be endorsed by a Chinese boy band
Bayern Munich are embroiled in a row with their Chinese fans just days after their Champions League triumph, accusing supporters of “hurling abuse” over a public-relations campaign gone wrong.
In the build-up to Sunday’s final against Paris Saint-Germain, some supporters were riled by the German club’s endeavours to be endorsed by a Chinese boy band called “Teens in Times”.
The club was accused of showing desperation over a series of leaked online messages that sought to make contact with the band to earn its backing.
European football teams aggressively court China’s growing middle class, and Bayern’s profile in the world’s most populous country should have been given a boost by beating PSG 1-0 for a treble of European and domestic titles this season.
But some fans felt Bayern’s social-media effort was demeaning to genuine old-school supporters, and they made their feelings known on the Twitter-like Weibo, where Bayern have 4.2 million followers.
“Have you ever seriously evaluated the risks and consequences of cooperation [with the boy band]?” one fan wrote on Weibo.
“I am writing a letter of complaint to Bayern’s headquarters.”