July 28 – AC Milan have held on to their main shirt sponsor Emirates airline in a three-year deal that will see them take a reported annual €4 million cut in the sponsorship fee.
Emirates first took the AC Milan shirt position in 2010-11 and for their last renewal were paying €14 million per season. But as the club have struggled on the field and failed to qualify for the Champions League the new deal has given Emirates the leverage to reduce that to €10 million annually.
AC Milan finished the Serie A season in sixth spot but 15 points off Champions League qualification and 16 points behind city rivals Internazionale.
The new Emirates deal still has a bonus component but no longer includes AC Milan’s women’s team and training kit. The club said it will sell this sponsorship separately. The deal does include youth teams and the Rossoneri academy.
Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan’s chief revenue officer, said: “This renewal is a testament to the value both parties have brought to the table throughout this long term and collaborative partnership. The partnership of these two brands, with such strong international visibility, is an extremely powerful one.
“Coming out of a global pandemic, our new deal with Emirates has also allowed the club to redefine its partnership strategy, providing an increased sponsorship inventory and therefore greater potential for further commercial partners moving forwards.”
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