The world of football acquisitions has been dominated in recent months by the incremental sale of Arsenal shares to American tycoon Stan Kroenke. With headline-making deals seemingly every week, the media's attention has been fixed on the London club. Yesterday's developments in Germany, however, demand some attention themselves.
 
- Kroenke less than a million dollars from Arsenal takeover
 
German car manufacturer Audi yesterday bought a 9.09 per cent stake in Bayern Munich for a reported US$135.8 million.
 
Audi, Volkswagen's premium auto marque, has been an official sponsor of Germany's richest and most successful soccer club since 2002.
 
Speculation was rife at the beginning of the month that Bayern Munich were on the verge of outdoing Manchester United and Liverpool by pulling off the richest sponsorship deal in soccer history with Audi.
 
- Bayern Munich ready to live life in the fast lane
- Bayern Munich outstrip Manchester United and Liverpool with new deal
 
That speculation was snuffed out, however, when the club signed an extension to their shirt sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom worth US$112 million over three years.
 
Audi, whose headquarters are in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt, just north of Munich, will leverage their stake in the club by undertaking global joint marketing initiatives.
 
"With the direct financial participation in the club, the two successful premium brands move even closer," said Audi board chairman Rupert Stadler.
 
"But apart from the financial engagement there are plans in progress to strengthen the global presence of both brands in the form of grassroots development in globally organised soccer schools," he said in a statement.