Penalty Kick: Siemens Pulls Sponsorship Of Super League

Siemens Cites Strategy Reasons For Pulling Out Of Chinese FA Deal

The start of the Chinese Super League “was postponed by a month, giving soccer clubs more time to find sponsorship after Siemens AG withdrew its backing last month,” according to Grant Clark of BLOOMBERG NEWS. A Chinese Football Association (CFA) spokesperson said that the 14 teams voted to start play on April 2 instead of March 5. Sports consultancy Rhino Sports Int’l Managing Dir Louis Liu, who represents seven teams, indicated that clubs are “seeking more revenue and greater say in the league’s running.” Liu added Siemens “cut short” a three-year contract worth $5.3-10.6M a season. As last season’s Super League “was marred by match-fixing allegations, low attendances and disputes” between teams and the CFA, Siemens spokesperson Charles Wong said the league’s problems “definitely had some effect on sponsors but that wasn’t our main reason” for canceling the contract. Wong added Siemens dropped out mainly for “strategy reasons.” The company continues to sponsor the Chinese national team (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/25).