Vodafone end United sponsorship
United seach for new shirt sponsor
23/11/2005 - 13:18:31
Manchester United are searching for a new shirt sponsor after Vodafone ended their current £36m (€52m) deal two years early.
Negotiations between Old Trafford executives and the telecommunications giant have resulted in a mutual decision to end the current £9m (€13m)-a-year contract at the end of the season.
While the announcement is bound to be seen as a setback in the business plan of new owner Malcolm Glazer, having taken early soundings from potential replacements, Red Devils commercial director Andy Anson is convinced it will actually allow the club to negotiate a better deal.
“The Manchester United shirt is the most iconic in sport,” he said.
“The club feels that, in the current market. There is a genuine chance to attract significant additional investment.
“Initial soundings and discussions with a number of world-class potential partners have been very encouraging and we are confident of securing a new deal in the coming months.”
Although Vodafone did let an opt-out clause in the current deal pass without giving an indication they wished to end it, it is believed the company wish to restructure their sponsorship, with the focus likely to be on the Champions League.
However, it is also anticipated they will remain as platinum sponsors with United, who announced their intention to concentrate on attracting a core group of investors prior to the £790m (€1.15bn) Glazer buyout.
Anson has already been responsible for attracting a major sponsorship deal with German car manufacturer Audi and will now step up his search for what will be only the third shirt sponsor in United’s history.
Japanese electrical firm Sharp were the first company to have their name emblazoned on the famous red strip, with their association lasting an incredible 18 years from 1982.
Although Anson is correct in his assertion United remain one of the most famous footballing names on the planet, their image has been tarnished by a relative lack of success in recent seasons and the possibility of an early exit from this year’s Champions League will not help in his negotiations.
Anson will be hopeful of eclipsing the biggest current shirt sponsorship deal in English soccer, the £50m (€73m), five-year contract Chelsea have with Samsung.
However, even that contract is eclipsed by the massive £16m (€23.3m)-a-year Real Madrid will rake in from Taiwanese mobile company BenQ Mobile in a deal which takes effect in the summer, a figure Anson will be under pressure to match.
