German arms manufacturer and technology company Rheinmetall has become a sponsor of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in what club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke named 'a new normality' in connection with security in Europe.
Dortmund on Wednesday announced a three-year partnership which is reportedly worth a seven-digit yearly sum.
Rheinmetall will not be Dortmund shirt sponsor, but appear "in a sports and social context as a 'Champion Partner'" with wide-ranging advertising rights.
The company's logo will be visible on advertising boards around Dortmund's preparations for the Champions League final on Saturday at Wembley against Real Madrid.
"Security and defence are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we believe it is the right decision to take a very close look at how we protect these cornerstones," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a club statement.
"Especially today, when we see every day how freedom must be defended in Europe. We should deal with this new normality.
"We are looking forward to the partnership with Rheinmetall and, as Borussia Dortmund, are consciously opening ourselves up to a dialogue."
Rheinmetall is Germany's largest arms manufacturer and has benefited from the German government's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its share price has increased by around 500% since the beginning of the conflict.
The company estimates that it will receive around €30 billion ($33 billion) over a period of several years from a €100 billion special fund for the German armed forces.
