Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – EE Hope United & Bayern Munich
Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT - EE HOPE UNITED
Women’s football is having an overdue resurgence, that is seeing it become a greater part of mainstream sports reporting.
Indeed, this year has been a record-breaking for the beautiful game, with Barcelona Femini selling over 90,00 tickets at the Camp Nou for their UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final vs Wolfsburg.
Coupled with a record attendance for the Women’s FA Cup final, the sport is reaching levels of popularity that were unheard of even just a decade ago.
This summer England are hosting the Women’s European Championships, with the Lionesses one of the favourites and the final already sold out, hoping to go one better than the men did on home soil last year.
With increased profile comes increased opportunity and a variety of companies and sportsmen have done their best to champion and shine a light on the game.
The England players are all too aware of the added scrutiny that comes with this increased profile and thankfully the players aren’t afraid to speak out undue against criticism.
A recent YouGov survey, commissioned by mobile phone provider EE, found that 52% of the UK public do not feel the internet is a safe space for women. The survey also revealed that 60% feel that not enough is done to tackle online or offline misogyny. In fact, nearly half (46%) of those who have witnessed or experienced online sexism have admitted to not doing anything about it.
EE have now launched the Hope United Campaign, in response to these findings, aiming to tackle online sexist hate and to urge men to be allies of women’s football this summer.
Marc Allera, CEO of EE, said: “Now, more than ever, it is imperative we come together to champion hope over hate, placing the onus on men to own the problem.
“This is why EE Hope United will continue to help shape a safer online world, giving others the confidence and knowhow to help call out and put a stop to online sexist hate.”
The campaign is based around the reality that sexist hate shouldn’t be any woman’s problem, with #NotHerProblem trending on social media following the launch.
England men’s manager Gareth Southgate is leading the campaign, who on the newly launched TV advert delivered a powerful message, which said: “I hope we can talk, because the privilege of being a man sometimes blurs our vision. There’s a clear problem we all need to tackle.
“Sexist hate has stifled women for far too long, designed to de-value and damage, the disregard remains strong. Whether its online or offline, the purpose is clear.
“It adds to the climate of intimidation and fear. As a son, a brother, a friend or a father, it’s a stain on us all. That the requirement for female success is skin thick enough to whether that storm.
“For our teammates that have made it out on the pitch, representing their nation with pride, why should they be paid with pain just for playing the beautiful game?
“Because football is football, no matter who kicks the ball. The same goes for life, living is for all. Women have the right to grow great without your judgement, their potential isn’t secondary to ours as men.
“So ask yourself, how can anyone be the best version of themselves, when we place limits on their powers?
“Be sure, the words we use matter. Call out those who shame. Show that we care, so the next generation won’t suffer the same. But it’s not about pointing the finger, let’s educate so we grow, because nobody’s perfect, that we all know.
“As allies, put yourself in their shoes, and we can all hope for change, because it’s not her problem to solve, not now, not then. If sexist hate starts with us, it must end with men.”
EE have also teamed a mixed-gender squad of footballers together to push back against online misogyny and lead the initiative. Lioness players have a Hope United teammate, who pledge to have their back on and off the pitch this summer.
These players include stars of the women’s game such as: Rachel Brown-Finnis, Natasha Harding, Lauren James, Marissa Calaghan and Caroline Weir.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand and Liverpool left back Andy Robertson are also part of the initiative along with other Premier League footballers such as Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Michail Antonio.
England record goal scorer Ellen White and Leeds United winger Dan James are partnered together, as are England defenders Demi Stokes and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as Lioness Right-back Lucy Bronze and Liverpool Captain Jordan Henderson.
Bronze is an Lionesses legend with 90 caps for her country and she explained why the EE campaign is crucial for the integrity of the women’s game. She said: “You’re judging me because I’m a woman. Football has always been a male-dominated sport and there is pressure in the media for women to act a certain way.
“You’re expected to be extra polite or extra nice. We should all be polite, but we should also be ourselves on the pitch and off the pitch.
“I’m fortunate that I have strong-minded women in my family; my mum, my auntie and my grandma and now my sister in law. Of the players I have played with I am probably one of the most mentally strong, but I can tell you I have had days where I have cried into a pillow, doubted myself, been affected on and off the pitch.
“I have had as many bad days as any player but just don’t open up about it. My mum always said, ‘Never let the bullies see that they are bothering you’. I want to show people I am a strong woman and I have thick skin, and that stupid comments are not worth my time. But it’s easier said than done, I guess.
“I don’t cry over injuries. Misogynistic comments affect me more than football comments. I know when I’ve had a good game, when I’ve had a bad game. I might agree with you that I’ve been rubbish today so fair enough. But misogyny is something that angers me to my core — even if it’s not aimed at me. To be held back or treated differently because you are a woman is extra frustrating and upsetting.
“The criticism I really despise is when it is about emotions. When women are told, ‘Don’t be so emotional’. It’s passion. I am not emotional because I am a woman, I am emotional because I am passionate about football and want to win.
“People want to pull the game apart even more. The bigger the game gets, the more abuse it gets.”
Football and indeed sport and society in general must take a more active role in combating sexism and EE’s campaign is a positive step in that direction.
MISS – BAYERN MUNICH
Despite dominating German football, Bayern Munich have a problem.
It’s difficult to compete with their rivals in Spain and England, particularly, given the commercial revenues and glamour that those two leagues attract.
So it’s no surprise that they would seek to bring in major funding streams that would help them to narrow the gap with European rivals.
The club took a five-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways in 2018 and at the time, Bayern’s marketing director, Andreas Jung, told FAZ: “Qatar Airways is expanding and opening up new destinations in the Asian and American markets. This will help our internationalisation, and we will be able to develop joint strategies here.”
The 50+1 rule in the Bundesliga ensure that fans retain ownership of their clubs but the Bayern fans seem to have been ignored when voicing their opposition to the Qatar Airways deal.
Last November, Bayern’s AGM descended into chaos as fans yelled and booed when the directors refused to discuss the Qatar sponsorship arrangements.
Club member Michael Ott made an unsuccessful attempt to lodge a motion calling for a vote on Bayern’s sponsorship agreements which he and others claimed are damaging the club’s reputation because of Qatar’s alleged human rights abuses.
“We are Bayern! You are not!” irate fans chanted at club president Herbert Hainer, chief executive and former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and other board members. “We are the fans that you don’t want!”
Ott said: “Whether it was legally O.K. or not to refuse the vote on this motion, it would have been a question of good character to at least allow me to hold my speech that I had prepared.
“I wanted to lay out for all the problems that exist in Qatar and … why it is in itself wrong to do a sponsorship deal with Qatar. It’s just distracting from the problems in Qatar, and not at all helping to bring change to Qatar. All the experts say if you want to change something there, it’s only possible with public pressure. And that’s the thing that FC Bayern never wants to do.”
Bayern fans then displayed a huge banner criticizing the club for the “sports washing” of human rights abuses in Qatar, depicting Kahn and Hainer laundering blood-stained clothes in a washing machine under the words, “For money, we’ll wash anything clean.”
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann defended the club’s stance at the time, saying it tried “to influence things through dialogue and not by exclusion or looking the other way.”
With pressure growing last season, Bayern made a statement outlining their position.
It said: “For many years there has been political, economic and cultural exchange between Germany and Qatar.
“Qatar supplies gas to Germany and invests in German companies that create secure jobs, for example with Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank and Siemens.
“Anyone who takes a balanced view of Qatar’s development since the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup were awarded will realise that the international publicity and the upcoming World Cup in particular have changed the country for the better.
“Certainly a lot of things in Qatar do not yet meet our European standards. But the United Nations agency International Labour Organisation (ILO), the German Embassy in Doha or representatives of the EU also confirm Qatar’s positive development in recent years. No-one will say that Qatar is a country where all Western European standards are met. However, many say that the country is on the right track, that it is the “frontrunner” in the Gulf.
“FC Bayern stands confidently for the democratic culture of Germany and Europe. However, nothing happens overnight, and no development is possible without first and sometimes small steps. Sport in particular can take these small steps.
“The world is somewhat more complicated than some people make it out to be. Do you want to achieve change by dividing the world into black and white? Or through social and political dialogue, economic exchange and patient conversation? There are examples of both. We have chosen dialogue, because we think this way is more convincing.”
So far, so good. Bayern have opened up about their positioning and last week held a fans’ forum to discuss the Qatar partnership.
But the forum was not announced by the club on social media and access was only possibly by logging on to the Bayern website.
There were no women on the panel and media were not allowed but attendees included host Christoph Heusgen, Germany’s former ambassador to the United Nations; Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s former foreign affairs minister; Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Germany; and Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary general of the World Cup supreme committee.
With such a strong panel, Bayern had an opportunity to take a stand and to showcase the progress they have helped to encourage since the Qatar Airways partnership and indeed even since starting winter training camps there in 2011.
However, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani used the forum to discuss vote-rigging during Germany’s successful 2006 World Cup bid and then disputed the reported figure of 6,500 migrant worker deaths in Qatar.
Bayern officials could have pushed back, focusing on the issues facing Qatar right now, but instead, Kahn use the forum to outline the benefits of the deal and said that Bayern had “several talks” with Qatari officials, including a recent meeting with Qatari representatives in London to discuss tolerance and diversity. It was hardly transformative in tone.
Kahn added: “These are the discussions that are very, very important to me personally. I think that’s how we can move forward step by step.”
Michael Windfuhr of the German Institute for Human Rights suggested Bayern should be more open about its involvements with Qatar.
“It’s also important for companies to communicate openly about what you are doing, what you can do in a country like this,” Windfuhr said.
When faced with issues or crises, talk is cheap.
It’s not what you say, but proof of what you do or will do which shows your true colours. Even in the months since the last forum and stadium protests, Bayern have done little to assuage the criticism that this is just about money at the expense of reputation and fan goodwill.
When pressed on what exactly had been achieved, Kahn was unable to give examples of any concrete action taken by the club or by Qatar at the club’s behest to improve working conditions for migrant workers in the country.
And that, in itself, speaks volumes.