By Samindra Kunti
December 21 – Santos have signed a sponsorship agreement with Royal Air Maroc as the club seeks financial stability next season.
Pele’s former club failed to qualify for the South American Champions League the Copa Libertadores this season after losing the final of the Brazilian Cup against Palmeiras and dropping out of the league’s top four.
The club fears that its main asset star player Lucas Lima will now be prised away, without Copa Libertadores football and without the club having the cash to persuade him to stay. In the past Santos produced players of the calibre of Robinho, Diego and Neymar.
Santos have now agreed a one-year sponsorship deal with Royal Air Maroc, the national airline carrier of Morocco. The Moroccan airline’s logo will appear on the shoulders of the team’s match day jerseys.
The logo was first visible during the Copa do Brasil final and Santos will continue to carry the logo throughout the 2016 season. The financial terms of the deal were not released, but will help Santos in reconfiguring their finances without a Copa Libertadores windfall.
Royal Air Maroc’s sponsorship of Santos comes with the airline reported to be planning on increasing the frequency of its flights to Brazil. The head of Royal Air Maroc in Brazil, Mehdi Yaalaoui, also confirmed to Moroccan news agency MAP that the company intends to promote more major sports clubs and events as part of its corporate strategy.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734831437labto1734831437ofdlr1734831437owedi1734831437sni@i1734831437tnuk.1734831437ardni1734831437mas1734831437