Bundesliga side FC Schalke has agreed to a premium partnership with high-tech specialists Hisense. The contract with the company, which will act as a partner for electronics and household appliances, has initially been agreed to run for three years until '17. As a premium partner, Hisense will install TVs around the Veltins Arena. Hisense will also receive presence on the LED advertising boards in the stadium, as well as on the background sponsorship panels in the arena’s mixed zone and media center (FC Schalke). ... Handball Bundesliga (HBL) side Frisch Auf! Göppingen has expanded its partnership with machine tool manufacturer EMAG for another year. EMAG will receive ad space on boards in camera view as well as logo presence on the court. In addition, the company's logo will be featured on the players' shorts during the '14-15 season (Frisch Auf! Göppingen). ... German 3rd League football club Arminia Bielefeld has signed a new sponsorship deal with interior decoration company Jab Anstoetz Group for the '14-15 season. The company's logo will be featured on the sleeves of the club's jersey (Arminia Bielefeld).
PLATING THE PASTA: Serie A side Napoli "has agreed to a deal with Garofalo Pasta to become the club's secondary shirt sponsor." Garofalo Pasta "will replace cruise line MSC and join primary shirt sponsor Acqua Lete on the front of the jersey" (SPORTECONOMY, 7/16). ... German auto manufacturer Opel has signed a sponsorship agreement in which it will support Spain's national women's field hockey team. The team is "currently looking to qualify for the 2016 Rio Games" (MARCA, 7/17). ... Global management company IMG confirmed its split with Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic, "just as the troubled Australian tennis star scored his first back-to-back match wins since January." The agency "used Twitter to announce it had cut ties with the 21-year-old on Thursday," but did not specify reasons. Reports earlier in the week suggested that "it had terminated his contract before it was due to expire because of his off-court behaviour" (AAP, 7/17). ... Suzuki Motor Corp. "will title sponsor this year’s Asean Football Championship for the fourth successive occasion." The biennial event kicks off on Nov. 22 "and will be co-hosted by Singapore and Vietnam" (BANGKOK POST, 7/17).
HARD HAT: German F1 driver Nico Rosberg "has been forced to change the design of a special helmet to celebrate Germany's World Cup triumph," after FIFA intervened on intellectual property grounds. Rosberg "released a photo of the design Tuesday," featuring the colors of the German flag, four stars and the World Cup trophy. However, on Thursday morning "the helmet was being swiftly altered to remove the image of the trophy" after FIFA contacted Rosberg's management to say that "they held the rights and he did not have permission to use it" (London TELEGRAPH, 7/17).
IN BRAZIL: Brazilian government-owned financial institution Caixa and Brasileiro side Sport Club do Recife announced a partnership in which the bank's logo will appear on the front of the club's shirts. The one-year deal is worth $2.7M (Sport Club do Recife).
NIKE ORDEM: Nike has "unveiled the new ball" -- the Nike Ordem -- that will be used in the EPL, La Liga and Serie A during the '14-15 season. The ones used in La Liga and Serie A will be different colored variations of the ball used in the Premier League (London TELEGRAPH, 7/17).
