Borussia Dortmund's major sponsor criticises 'unacceptable' fan banner | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund might be locked in a Bundesliga title fight with Bayern Munich but that hasn’t stopped their fans from protesting against the commercial naming of their famous Westfalenstadion in recent weeks.

The famous stadium was renamed the Signal Iduna Park in 2006 after the rights were sold to the insurance company but the vast majority of Dortmund fans still refer to the ground by its original name. Unsurprisingly, this has not gone down well with the managing director of the club’s major sponsor, Ulrich Leitermann.

Speaking about the impressive “Forever Westfalenstadion” banner that was on display in the Yellow Wall south stand prior to the April 8th home game against Union Berlin, Leitermann told Ruhr Nachrichten “it hurts, especially when you know the history.”

“I find the choreographies on the south stand generally extremely creative and very impressive,” he added.

“But this banner was not very appreciative. For me that is unacceptable, considering how much we have supported and stood by this club for a long time than others didn’t want to give a cent more.”

Dortmund were verging on the brink in the mid-2000s when the stadium naming rights were sold which “helped the club a lot” according to the Signal Iduna man, who also sits on Dortmund’s supervisory board.

Leitermann went on to state that the insurance company sponsor had always taken the concerns of fans into account, noting that they refrained from using their blue and white colours in the stadium given the intense rivalry with Schalke. He asked fans to “be considerate of us” in return for the remaining eight years of the naming rights deal.

With the fabled “50+1” model in place in Germany, fans certainly have more of a say in their club’s dealings than in England, with this being the latest in a lengthy list of fan protests in recent years. Bayern Munich fans have regularly protested against the club’s sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways, which led to their 2021 AGM ending in acrimony such was the level of fan disdain.