December 10 – Two days after PSG issued a statement saying it would be selling neither Neymar or Kylian Mbappé to avoid any potential financial fair play sanctions, the Qatar National Bank (QNB) has announced star striker Neymar as its Global Brand Ambassador.
QNB is a major sponsor of the club, and its logo appears on the club’s sleeve sponsorship.
Last week a story in L’Equipe said PSG were prepared to lose either €200 million Neymar or Mbappé who arrived with a €166 million obligation to buy, in order to beat the investigation into the Qatari-owned club’s spending which was initially opened in September 2017. UEFA FFP rules state that deficits must fall within a €30 million limit over three seasons.
The club reacted furiously to the French paper in a statement on its website saying: “Beyond denying with the utmost firmness these claims totally erroneous, ridiculous and only likely to recreate a climate of great tensions between the Club and this media, the Paris Saint-Germain wonders, once more, on the L’Equipe’s intellectual honesty and the ulterior motives of its editorial line concerning Paris Saint-Germain.”
Saying that their focus was firmly on this week’s crucial Champions League game against Red Star Belgrade the further stated: “The massive support of our fans on the social networks and in our stands nourish the strength of Neymar Jr, Cavani, Mbappé and all our players.”
Neymar has now been further nourished by an unstated amount by QNB who will have exclusive marketing rights to Neymar Jr’s image for all the group’ s marketing campaigns and advertising platforms, including personal appearances.
Yousef Darwish, General Manager of QNB Group Communications, said: “We are delighted to welcome Neymar to the QNB family; a man who shares many of the same values with our brand and who is always looking for opportunities to reach greatness. Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Neymar Jr is a true sport icon who inspires fans worldwide to strive to reach the ultimate standards of excellence.”
The deal was signed by Neymar’s father, Neymar Santos Sr, in a Paris branch of the bank. “We are very pleased to be partnering with QNB. Neymar Jr shares the same values with QNB and its constant pursuit of excellence and achieving great results in every game,” he said.
“We are happy to support QNB’s efforts to bring football community together through football and inspire people not to only pursue success but challenges, to be better.”
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