Month: February 2018

FIFA nets yet another Chinese sponsor, while CFA provides much-needed transfer clarity

Here’s a summary of what you can find in my weekly China Digest for SportBusiness:

Scooter company becomes latest Chinese firm to bankroll FIFA

Yadea has become the latest Chinese company to sponsor FIFA, with the electric scooter company becoming a “regional supporter” – the third of three sponsorship tiers – for this year’s World Cup in Russia. Under the terms of the deal, Yadea will see LED advertising exposure during World Cup matches, as well as access to tickets and brand association rights in Asia. FIFA’s chief commercial officer, Philippe Le Floc’h, noted that Yadea’s appeal to a younger audience as well as its emphasis on a sustainable lifestyle were two important elements of the deal, although given that Gazprom is one of the tournament’s main sponsors, it’s likely that the monetary compensation was, as usual, of primary importance.

Yadea is only the second regional supporter of the 2018 World Cup, although with Chinese sports agency Desports tasked with finding more companies across Asia to fill the regional supporter slots, it’s likely that others will soon be added. Yadea is the fifth Chinese company to sign up as a World Cup sponsor, joining Wanda – one of FIFA’s top-tier partners – and Mengniu, Vivo and Hisense – all second-tier World Cup sponsors. Separately, Alibaba’s Cloud division is the title sponsor of the FIFA Club World Cup.

CFA looks to tighten loopholes with transfer policy details