May 29 – The Chinese are ramping up their engagement with the World Cup with Bull, a Chinese electrical devices provider, agreeing a deal with Tencent, for a series of eSports events and marketing campaigns throughout the country during the Russian tournament.
May 25 – The digital streaming market received a significant credibility boost with the China’s MIGU being granted digital and telecoms rights from state broadcaster CCTV for the 2018 World Cup.
May 25 – The budget beleaguered FIFA World Football Museum that has been a major casualty under FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s sweeping cost cuts, has phoenix-like re-emerged for the Russian World Cup to host major exhibition at Hyundai Motorstudio Moscow.
May 25 – Timed almost to the last minute, the English Football League (EFL) has announced Watchfinder is its first ‘Official Timekeeper of the EFL Play-Off Finals’ that play this weekend over three days at Wembley Stadium.
May 24 – Dangerous liaisons and sexy encounters seem to be a growing theme as football heads into its summer finales. First Argentina issued a manual with a chapter on how to pick up Russian women, now dating a dating website for married and attached people seeking an extra-marital affair has polled female members on who the sexiest, cheat-worthy players in the Champions League final are.
May 24 – Liverpool has renewed main sponsor Standard Chartered for a further four years to the end of the 2022/23 season in a reported £160 million deal. The partnership which began in 2010, will be the second longest sponsorship in the club’s history.
May 24 – Arsenal have signed a shirt sleeve deal with The Rwanda Development Board, through their subsidiary, the Rwanda Convention Bureau, which will see the “Visit Rwanda’ become the club’s official Tourism Partner. The ‘Visit Rwanda’ logo will feature on the left sleeve of all Arsenal teams next season.
May 22 – The Champions League final will kick off for the 18th consecutive final using an adidas ball this Saturday. It will continue to do so for the next three years after adidas renewed their sponsorship for another three seasons.
May 22 – Arsenal and French legend Thierry Henry is the latest of football’s superstars to benefit from Chinese sponsorship in advance of the Russian World Cup. The World Cup winner in 1998 has been named as the official ambassador of Chinese kitchen appliance manufacturer Vatti.
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.