May 21 – Chinese corporate sponsorship of football continues seemingly unabated. The Chinese Super League (CSL) has added an official motor sponsor while Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, a marketing force to compete with most national federations and leagues, has similarly secured an official Chinese SUV sponsor.
May 18 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has scored a hat-trick of sponsorship deal with Chinese companies. The news is timely boost for AFA, whose dysfunctions where highlighted again by the ‘flirting manual’.
May 21 – The Ghana FA has agreed a five-year sponsorship deal with Zylofon Cash to become the headline sponsor of the Ghana Premier League in a deal reportedly worth $2 million a season.
May 16 – Korea’s Hankook Tire has renewed its sponsorship of the UEFA Europa League for a new three-year cycle, taking its association with UEFA’s club tournament through to 2021.
May 16 – Never ones to be caught napping when it comes to commercial partnerships, Manchester United have renewed Chinese firm MLILY as the Club’s official mattress and pillow provider.
May 16 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have extended their partnership with bookmakers William Hill in what the club says is a multi-year deal.
May 16 – ESPN has signed a content deal with German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to bring club content to the broadcaster’s digital and linear networks in the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.
May 15 – Premier League Chelsea have scored a record £50 million, five-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Hyundai, who are reportedly doubling that paid by current sleeve sponsor Alliance Tyres.
May 15 – Home appliances brand Beko has used its Barcelona sponsorship partnership to raise €1 million for UNICEF to help tackle childhood obesity.
May 12 – The Chinese Super League (CSL) has extended its kit partnership with Nike for a further 10 years – starting in June 2019 and taking them through to 2029.
May 11 – Telstra and Football Federation Australia (FFA) have signed a five-year digital rights and sponsorship agreement, with Telstra securing the live mobile rights for football until 2023.
May 10 – Russia will have its own round of the EA Sports FIFA 18 Global Series with VY Esports having struck a deal to for the Russian Interactive Football Cup to become an official qualifying competition.
May 10 – At last, a FIFA World Cup story that is not about corruption. Sweden’s football fans are being given the opportunity to help national team manager Janne Andersson with his tactics for Russia 2018.
May 9 – Manchester City Women have become the first team in the Women’s Super League to sign a sleeve sponsor with Asian firm QNET taking the branding position and becoming the official direct selling partner of the women’s team.
May 9 – Barcelona sponsor Rakuten have taken a leaf from the Where’s Wally books (Where’s Waldo in the US) and launched a digital #WheresBarça series on their Rakuten Arena Facebook channel.