Chinese dairy company Mengniu will be the official supplier of drinkable yogurt and pre-packaged ice cream at the 2018 World Cup after signing an agreement with FIFA on Wednesday, according to Li, Jourdan & Homewood of REUTERS. Mengniu is "the fourth company from the country to sign a deal with FIFA," after Dalian Wanda, Hisense and Vivo. Chinese firms "have increasingly been backing high-profile world sports events," especially in football, even though the country's own team "failed to clinch a spot in the tournament scheduled to kick off next June." FIFA CCO Philippe Le Floc'h said, "Mengniu is one of the biggest dairy producers in the world and is a strong brand in the Chinese market. Growing the game worldwide is one of our key priorities" (REUTERS, 12/20). BLOOMBERG reported Mengniu’s "emergence as another FIFA backer from China is prompting some speculation" the world’s most populous country "may campaign to host a tournament." Marketing firm JTA Chair Jon Tibbs said that the shift in global sponsorship deals is "a sign of China just beginning to flex a little more financial muscle within FIFA with half an eye on the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosting rights." Backers "have signed on more slowly" for the '18 competition than for previous tournaments "amid fallout" from the '15 corruption scandal involving FIFA. Le Floc'h said, "The 2018 event still needs two more sponsors. We have one in the pipeline, which is not a Chinese company. For the other one, we have various options" (BLOOMBERG, 12/20). The AP reported FIFA still has 21 vacant slots in its 34-sponsor World Cup program "less than six months from the opening game in Moscow." A new third-tier category with 20 continental slots "has found just one sponsor," Alfa-Bank of Russia. All World Cup sponsors that have signed in the past five years "are from China, Russia and 2022 host Qatar" (AP, 12/20).
