'Sleepless nights' - Dortmund CEO defends partnership with arms manufacturer

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted to "sleepless nights" before the signing of a controversial sponsorship contract with arms manufacturer and technology company Rheinmetall, reported dpa.

Watzke again defended the deal at Dortmund's annual assembly on Sunday but said the decision making was a difficult process.

"We discussed it very intensively. And believe me, I had sleepless nights at the beginning of the process. Because I knew that this was a very, very difficult decision to weigh up," he said.

"It was a tough decision. A decision that also demanded a lot from me personally. But I stand by it."

Dortmund announced the partnership, under which Rheinmetall have wide-ranging advertising rights as well as event and hospitality offers in the stadium, in late May. It is worth a seven-digit yearly sum, according to the Handelsblatt paper.

The deal drew wide-ranging criticism from fan groups, pacifists ans human rights groups, and there was a motion at the assembly calling for a swift end of it.

"At the end of the day you can't rule out differences of opinion, as is the case with Rheinmetall. The most important thing is that we are able to discuss different opinions and views with decency and respect," Watzke said.

Rheinmetall is Germany's biggest arms maker and has seen major growth after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and amid a general armament boom.