November 12 – Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain and UAE-owned Emirates Airline will part ways at the end of their sponsorship contract next year.
Emirates has been the main sponsor of the Paris club since 2006, with its logo on the front of the club’s shirt. PSG indicated that they will seek now seek a higher value main sponsor, matching their own ambition following the pricey signings of both Neymar for a world record fee and Kylian Mbappe, who became a global star following France’s World Cup win this summer in Russia.
Qatar Sports Investments have owned PSG since 2011 and have dominated the French football scene ever since. They hammered Thierry Henry’s struggling Monaco 4-0 on Sunday and already lead the league by 13 points, with Lille in second place on 26 points.
Since the Saudi-led blockade against Qatar, the sponsorship deal between the club and the airliner carrier has become a geopolitical mismatch.
Emirates enjoys a strong portfolio in football sponsorship, gracing the shirts of Real Madrid in Spain, Arsenal in England and AC Milan in Italy. PSG receive about €30 million per season for the shirt deal, but L’Equipe previously reported that club president and QSI president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is seeking a bigger deal, aiming for €80 million a season.
Bloomberg reported that Olympique de Marseille may be an alternative candidate in the French market for Emirates to maintain a presence in French football.
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