Dortmund sues German party for exploiting its logo

German football club Borussia Dortmund has decided to sue the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for using an election poster incorporating the club's colors in its campaign for the upcoming regional elections on September 14. The poster, which reads "Black and yellow in football, blue on Sunday," uses Dortmund's famous colors (black and yellow) alongside the party's blue, in an attempt to associate the club with specific political messages. The club has demanded that the party sign an official declaration stopping the use of its colors and logo in election campaigning, stressing that using these colors without permission is illegal and inconsistent with the club's values. A letter from the club's lawyers was sent to the party headquarters and to one of its members, Matthias Helfrich, who was recently expelled from the party in North Rhine-Westphalia. A Dortmund spokesperson confirmed that this step comes to reject attempts to associate the club with politics, noting that there are calls within the party headquarters suggesting that Dortmund fans should vote for the AfD, which the club strongly rejects. The club stated that it would take legal action if the party or Helfrich did not sign the required declaration by next Tuesday. For his part, Helfrich stated that thousands of Dortmund fans would vote for the party in the upcoming elections, regardless of the ongoing legal dispute.