Borussia Dortmund fans have protested against the club’s controversial sponsorship deal with German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall.

The protest took place during Dortmund’s first Bundesliga match of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt. The supporter club behind the protest urged “every fan club to bring their discontent with the Rheinmetall deal to the stadium” on behalf of 91 Dortmund fan groups, with banners reading: “Money first, values second!”, “20m full of blood” and “No values? No morals?”.

The German club signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Rheinmetall in late May, three days before their Champions League final clash with Real Madrid. Rheinmetall is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in Europe and is currently supplying weapons for Israel's occupation of Palestine and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In a statement published on the supporter club’s website, Südtribüne Dortmund said: “We strongly reject the idea that responsible persons in the BVB and all its committees have agreed to use the call of Borussia Dortmund to improve the public image of the arms company and in doing so throw their own values overboard.”

Weapons dealers and manufacturers have no place in football and it’s refreshing to see Dortmund supporters rallying against this deal. The club has developed a reputation for putting fans and the community first and this stands to ruin that.

Football always has a duty to represent the very best of society, not the worst.