German high-end car giant BMW said on Saturday it had dropped plans to sponsor its hometown football team Bayern Munich, with rival Audi successfully fending off the bid to crowd it out.

“We have ended the talks and will not become sponsors of FC Bayern,” a spokesman told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) weekly.

News of the deal falling through came shortly before Bayern secured their seventh successive Bundesliga title with a 5-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt at home in the Allianz Arena.

Bayern chief Uli Hoeness had said in March that the German juggernauts had signed a memorandum of understanding with BMW for the carmaker to sponsor both their football and basketball teams.

But according to the paper, Audi boss Bram Schot would not be budged from the Volkswagen subsidiary’s contract to sponsor Bayern until 2025, offering the club massively improved terms.