Nike Sponsorship May Force Franck Ribery To Change Soccer Clubs

Ribery And Nike Have Extended Their Sponsorship Agreement Through '14

Nike and Bundesliga club Bayern Munich MF Franck Ribery have extended their sponsorship agreement through '14, agreeing to a deal that will pay Ribery US$1.6M annually, according to Lucas Brown of GOAL.com. Bayern long has "been synonymous" with adidas, and "that is where the difficulty lies." The more popular Ribery becomes, the "more he will be pressured to change club," and Nike reportedly believes that the "Bayern kit overpowers their branding and they would rather see him" play for a Nike-sponsored team. But Bayern Munich Chair Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said, "The contract with a sponsor should not affect the relationship between the club and the player. We do not have any intention of letting him leave" (GOAL.com, 4/2).

FOREIGN AFFAIRS: CHINA DAILY's Cao Li reports Nike is "suing two Chinese companies for copying one of its logos -- a silhouette" of Michael Jordan dunking. Nike in the suit claims that the Shanghai Century Lianhua Chengshan Supermarket was "illegally displaying and selling fake sports pants bearing the logo for nearly a year." Nike attorney Kong Qin said that the supermarket "purchased the pants from" Shanghai Kangchen Garment Co., the other defendant in the suit. Kong Qin said the two defendants "should print a notice in local Xinmin Evening News to dispel the negative influence they created and pay a compensation" of US$43,900 (CHINA DAILY, 4/2).