German supermarket chain REWE said Tuesday it was ending its partnership with the German football association with immediate effect over what it described as FIFA’s “scandalous attitude” in an escalating row over diversity.
The company had already decided in October not to extend its cooperation with the team, but now said it was bringing forward its exit.
“Following the current decisions of FIFA and the statements by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the company feels required to clearly distance itself from FIFA’s stance and to waive its advertising rights from the contract with the DFB, especially in the context of the World Cup,” it said.
Qatar’s laws against homosexuality have been a long-running controversy in the build-up to the World Cup. The tournament’s host has also come under sustained fire over its human rights record, including its treatment of foreign workers.