August 5 – The total value of sponsorship across the big five football leagues in 2020 is now more than €3.3bn annually, according to a report by KPMG Football Benchmark.
August 4 – Crystal Palace FC have replaced one betting firm with another as the club’s main shirt sponsor. Online gaming brand W88 will take over from ManBetX for next season.
August 4 – Inter Milan are boosting fan engagement activities via two new initiatives: a partnership with video gamemaker EA Sports for its FIFA game and a new WeChat virtual community for its Chinese fans.
August 3 – Heineken has signed a new sponsorship with UEFA for the Europa League that will begin with the resumption of the competition this week and run through to June 2024.
July 29 – Viewing figures from the US show record numbers for the women’s club game and a significant breakthrough for the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League).
July 28 – AC Milan have held on to their main shirt sponsor Emirates airline in a three-year deal that will see them take a reported annual €4 million cut in the sponsorship fee.
July 27 – Leicester City have announced a one-season partnership with Tourism Authority of Thailand to launch the ‘Thailand Smiles With You’ campaign and promote the country as a tourist destination as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 23 – The burgeoning political and diplomatic feud between Britain and China has spilled over into top-flight football with English Premier League games reported to have been pulled from Chinese state television (CTV).
July 23 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) has published a tentative match calendar for the Brazilian top flight with a TV schedule that will intensify the on-going domestic TV rights battle.
July 22 – Globalisation and digital media have rapidly changed the market for top tier football sponsorship. That market is now being challenged again by the coronavirus pandemic.
July 22 – Leeds United, back in the English top flight for the first time in 16 years next season, have announced a “record-breaking” official kit partnership with Adidas.
July 20 – Premier League champions Liverpool have launched a new global partnership with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Economic Development Board Mauritius, who become club’s Official Tourism and Economic Development Partner.
July 17 – Serie A’s Roma and US sportswear giants Nike have cancelled their 10-year partnership with three years left to run on the contract.
July 16 – Real Madrid will have a new official bank from the start of the 2020/21 season. An agreement with Liberbank will see the financial institution take over from Caixabank.
By Paul Nicholson
July 15 – Saudi Arabia’s decision to “permanently terminate” beIN Sports license to broadcast in the country has been called a “sham” by the Qatari broadcaster, but also throws focus back on to the Premier League who are still to rule on whether Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund can buy Newcastle United.