The Premier League's logo of a crowned lion "is going to be replaced" as part of its "major rebranding exercise," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Despite having a "successful image globally," it is planning an overhaul to maximize having a "clean brand with no title sponsor next season." Instead of long-time backer Barclays, "the richest league in the world can afford to have a roster of secondary rights partners." A creative agency will be appointed after a tender this month, "with the brief to link all the PL’s various work under the new branding." And "the dated logo, based on the original tie-up with the FA’s three lions, is going to be culled." However the EPL’s name "will not change" in the wake of the Football League’s rebranding as the English Football League (DAILY MAIL, 1/12). In London, Jack de Menezes reported the Premier League is "set to ditch the iconic lion," and football fans "are not happy about it with some Twitter users comparing it to the death of Cecil the lion." A number of Twitter users "have reacted badly to the announcement though, with some jesting that the lion’s absence is as devastating news as the death of the famous lion Cecil," who was killed by an American big-game hunter last summer (INDEPENDENT, 1/12).
