National Rugby League side Manly’s major jersey sponsor Coco Joy "wants the club to stop using its name and logo, claiming continued exposure is damaging its brand" after the Sea Eagles were linked to match-fixing, according to Margie McDonald of THE AUSTRALIAN. But Manly CEO Joe Kelly said that the argument with Coco Joy’s parent company, FAL Holdings, "was over unpaid sponsorship fees and had nothing to do with the current match-fixing claims the club finds itself embroiled in." Coco Joy represents one of the "main beverage products of FAL Food and Beverage, part of FAL Holdings." Last November, FAL upgraded its previous deal to a new three-year arrangement. But since then the company has had a change in senior management and claims the A$1M ($750,000)-a-year deal with Manly is "no longer valid." Manly officials are "privately fuming, saying they have been in dispute with FAL since February over the company’s non-payment of sponsorship funds." It is understood "a sum well over six figures is outstanding." On Tuesday, FAL spokesperson Patrick Southam said that the company "terminated its sponsorship with eight-time premiers Manly on May 3 this year." Kelly said that unpaid sponsorship money was the "root of the problem." He said, "It’s been an ongoing dispute for several months now. ... They now want it decided in court, which is a typical response when you don’t want to pay" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 6/8).
