Chelsea to pay £40m to exit adidas kit deal
May 12 – Having ensured a miserable season on the pitch by their own standards, Chelsea are to end their shirt sponsorship deal with German sportswear giants Adidas six years earlier than scheduled.
News
Raul spearheads La Liga brand building challenge in the US
By Paul Nicholson in Mexico City
May 12 – La Liga has targeted the US as a key development country and has sent Real Madrid goalscoring legend Raul to deliver the partnerships and win American hearts and minds.
Berlusconi closes in on Chinese sale for AC Milan; Villa seek a saviour
By Paul Nicholson
May 11 – The Berlusconi family, owners of Italy’s AC Milan, have opened exclusive talks for the sale of a majority stake in the club to a group of Chinese investors.
SUM win rights to sell CONCACAF sponsorship to 2021, FIFA releases $10m
By Paul Nicholson in Mexico City
May 11 – The sponsorship rights to CONCACAF events have been awarded to the MLS’s commercial arm, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), who take over from Traffic Sports, the agency that triggered the corruption scandal that lead to the arrest of the confederation’s last two presidents – Jeffrey Webb and Alfredo Hawit.
World Cup bid criteria tightened but 2026 host vote put back to 2020
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – The 2026 World Cup hosts will not be chosen until May 2020, three years later than originally scheduled, as FIFA beefs up eligibility rules.
Hammers fans mark final game at Upton Park with attack on Man Utd bus
May 11 – West Ham United’s final match at its iconic Upton Park ground in East London after 112 years may have had the perfect denouement on the field, with an emotional 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Manchester United. But the carnival atmosphere turned distinctly sour courtesy of shameful scenes reminiscent of the dark days of English football.
Scottish League Cup becomes Betfred Cup in £1m deal
By Mark Baber
May 11 – The Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL) has confirmed that Warrington-based bookmaking company Betfred has agreed a three-year deal to become the exclusive title sponsor of the Scottish League Cup which will now be known as The Betfred Cup.
Belgians launch Red Devils app in time for Euro2016
By Samindra Kunti
May 11 – The Belgian FA, the KBVB, has launched an exclusive Red Devils app as coach Marc Wilmots will announce his squad for EURO 2016 on Thursday.
Man City trials first live VR match in London, New York and Melbourne
By Paul Nicholson
May 11 – Manchester City has taken a deep media step into the opportunities of Virtual Reality with a test of last weekend’s game against Arsenal that was broadcast to a select group of fans in London, New York and Melbourne.
Watford think global with FX partner Divisa Capital
May 11 – Premier League Watford has agreed a three-season sponsorship with Divisa Capital who will become the club’s new Official Foreign Exchange Partner. No fugure was announced for the deal.
Pressure on FIFA to revisit Palestine/Israel deal as progress falters
By Andrew Warshaw
May 10 – A group of anti-Israeli activists is urging FIFA not to just bury the plight of Palestinian footballers in the occupied territories when it holds its annual congress in Mexico on Friday.
Infantino ‘sad’ at Platini ban but ‘positive’ about past as he plans FIFA’s ‘new era’
By Andrew Warshaw
May 10 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has expressed his sadness at Michel Platini failing to overturn his ban for breaching FIFA’s ethics code – hardly surprising given the process by which Infantino landed the top job in world football instead of his former boss.
Gazprom refuels Schalke 04 with €120m shirt deal until 2022
By Mark Baber
May 10 – Schalke 04 and Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom have agreed to an extension of their shirt sponsorship deal, which had been due to expire in 2017, until 30 June 2022 in a deal reported to be worth at least €120 million.
Romanians suspend ambulance firm as Ekeng autopsy continues
May 10 – Romania’s interior ministry has suspended the licence of a private ambulance company that transported Dinamo Bucharest and Cameroon midfielder Patrick Ekeng to hospital after he collapsed during a match last Friday and died shortly afterwards.
Last man standing falls: Rocha loses appeal and is headed for Brooklyn court
May 10 – The last of the football officials still held in Zurich after the May 2015 raids by Swiss police and US Department of Justice officials, has finally had his extradition to the US finalised.