August 30 – Love them or hate them? Bookmakers – online Asian firms in particular – have ploughed sponsorship money into Europe’s football clubs with AS Roma being the latest to announce a deal. But not everyone is so comfortable taking their money with PSV Eindhoven going to their fans for their opinion on a potential deal.
August 30 – Premier League champion Manchester City have extended their Nigerian partnership with PZ Cussons’ soap brand, Premier Cool.
August 28 – US sports broadcaster ESPN is taking a deeper step into domestic soccer with a new three-year deal the United Soccer League (USL) which will see it triple its coverage of the league.
August 27 – Motor manufacturer SEAT has signed a five-year deal with its hometown club FC Barcelona for its new CUPRA brand to be Barça’s Official Automotive and Mobility Partner.
August 27 – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was “lost for words” after yet another vitriolic case of racial abuse on social media towards a player missing a penalty, this time directed against Marcus Rashford who fluffed a second-half spotkick as United suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
August 27 – Manchester City have added a new gaming partner in Asia with Superbloke becoming the Club’s Official Blockchain-Based Gacha Partner for its ‘FC Superstars’ online game.
August 23 – Manchester City’s Official Direct Selling company QNET is renewing its sponsorship through to 2024 in a deal that will mark 10 years of partnership.
August 21 – Former England international Phil Neville has called for the football community to “send a powerful message” and boycott social media for six months in response to the rise in racist abuse of players.
August 20 – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has become the third player in a week to be the subject of racist abuse on social media in England after missing a penalty.
August 20 – AC Milan launched their mobile app with the a live stream of their pre-season friendly against Cesena last Saturday with dual language commentary in Italian and English.
August 20 – Online betting firms are mopping up last minute club sponsorships as the European season kicks off with French bookmaker Betclic partnering with Poland’s Lechia Gdansk, and VfL Bochum 1848 of the 2. Bundesliga becoming the first German betting partner of Stockholm based operator LeoVegas.
August 20 – LaLiga’s Real Betis has secured a three-year shirt sponsorship with foreign exchange broker easyMarkets, who take over from Green Earth, an environmentally-friendly cryptocurrency company.
August 19 – The US women’s national team may hold the attention and hearts of the nation but their women’s professional league has never enjoyed anything like the same profile. A new deal with ESPN could be a step towards changing that.
By David Owen
August 19 – Sporting goods group Adidas has marked the opening of the latest phase of its €1 billion headquarters complex in Germany in the month of the 70th anniversary of its foundation.
August 16 – Bayer 04 Leverkusen has signed Kumho Tyre has the club’s official tyre partner in a deal that will its logo on the club’s sleeve as part of a wide ranging sponsorship package.