SC Freiburg fuels push for Bundesliga top flight with milk deal
April 27 – German club SC Freiburg who currently lead 2. Bundesliga will have a new main and short sponsor next season, whether they make it to the top flight or not.
Sponsorship
P&G agree multi-brand, multi-territory sponsorship with FC Bayern
By Mark Baber
April 26 – Whilst on the pitch, FC Bayern are within sight of a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble, off the pitch the club have signed a new partnership with American multi-national consumer goods company Procter and Gamble.
End of an era: PSV unplugs Philips after 33 years as shirt sponsor
By Samindra Kunti
April 25 – One of the longest running shirt sponsorships in European football comes to an end this summer when for the first time in 33 years Philips won’t be the brand on PSV Eindhoven’s shirt. Philips’ sponsorship will be replaced by Energiedirect in a three-year deal worth €18 million.
Stoke City double up with bet365 naming rights deal and stadium extension
By Tom Parsons
April 21 – Stoke City have entered into a six-year sponsorship agreement with bet365 which will see the Britannia Stadium become the bet365 stadium, and announced plans to extend the ground.
Swissquote trade up with Man Utd sponsorship add-ons
April 21 – As Manchester United closed to within a point of Arsenal in the race for Champions League qualification, the club announced an extension of its Swissquote global sponsorship.
Wolves come under fire for taking Money Shop cash
By Mark Baber
April 19 – The announcement that Wolverhampton Wanderers have agreed a deal with US headquartered payday lender Dollar Financial for their Money Shop brand to be the club’s main sponsor has stirred up controversy, with two local MPs and the heads of two local councils writing to the club’s chief executive Jez Moxey asking him to reconsider the deal in the interests of supporters and constituents.
Man City quartet tune up for PSG clash with Nissan driving test
April 12 – Man City players David Silva, Bacary Sagna, Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala warmed up for their Champions League second leg quarter final match-up with PSG with a few laps of the Etihad campus, in Nissan GT racing cars.
Chinese whispers ground Qatar Airways rumours on Barca shirt deal
By Paul Nicholson
April 8 – Speculation is mounting over who will have the sponsor position on the front of Barcelona’s shirt – probably the most valuable football sponsor position in world football – once the Qatar Airways deal ends at the end of June.
Man City revs up regional sponsor roster with Astra Otoparts
April 7 – Manchester City has signed automotive component group Astra Otoparts as an Official Regional Partner of the Club.
Betway to sponsor legends match as Hammers bid farewell to Boleyn Ground
April 7 – West Ham sponsor Betway has picked up title sponsorship for an England v Germany Legends match to be held in honour of the Boleyn Ground’s final season and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup final.
Dalian Wanda adds Atlético training ground to sponsorship portfolio
April 5 – Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, which last month announced it had become the first Chinese company to sign up as a top-tier World Cup partner, has further cemented its European football sponsorship with a title sponsorship deal for Atlético Madrid’s training ground.
MegaFon dials-in with upgraded sponsorship of Russian Football
By Mark Baber
March 31 – The efforts of Vitaly Mutko, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Football Union (RFU), to put the finances of Russian football on a solid foundation have received another boost as Russia’s second biggest mobile operator MegaFon has signed an agreement with the RFU to become a general sponsor of Russian football from 2016 until 2018.
Liverpool renews with Carlsberg for another three years
March 24 – Carlsberg have extended the longest running commercial partnership in English Premier League football with a three-year addition to their current 24-year long deal with Liverpool.
VW stays parked with their German Cup sponsorship through to 2022
March 22 – Scandal-hit Volkswagen has agreed to extend its sponsorship of the German national cup for six years until 2022.
Messi rings up more sponsorship cash with Huawei deal
March 21 – While Barcelona teammate Neymar is contemplating his €45.9 million fine for tax evasion in Brazil, Lionel Messi – no stranger to multiple tax fraud allegations himself – was signing on another sponsorship deal, this time with Chinese telecoms firm Huawei.