Sahara Execs Meeting With ManU Next Week On Shirt Sponsorship
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Sahara Reportedly In Advance Talks To Replace
AIG As Premier Jersey Sponsor Of ManU |
Business conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar is in "advance talks to replace" AIG as the premier jersey sponsor of EPL club Manchester United, according to Rebello & Vasavda of the Mumbai DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS. A Sahara official said Chair Subrata Roy Sahara is "going to London on June 5 to finalise the deal." The official added, "We think that if we can sponsor such a huge club it will give an opportunity for Indian footballers to play as well." Rebello & Vasavda report the amount of the deal with Sahara "may go up to as much as [US$159.5M] for five years, near double" of ManU's existing deal with AIG. The Sahara deal "might well be beneficial" to the team, who can "add on to their existing fan base across Asia." But it is believed that while ManU "can cash in on the Asian market with a Sahara logo on the [jerseys], Old Trafford officials fear of losing out on a more global audience." Two other Indian groups, the Tata Group and Bharti Airtel, are "also in the loop for the Manchester United sponsorship deal." However, Airtel, which recently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with ManU for mobile phone content, said that they "would not bid for the [shirt] sponsorship." AIG's four-year, $90.15M agreement with ManU ends after the '09-10 season, and the company has "already said it will not renew as it recovers from the global financial crisis" (Mumbai DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS, 5/28). Sahara spokesperson Abhijit Sarkar said that the company "had not made much headway on the proposal received from the club in January." Sarkar: "There is no progress on the issue" (REUTERS, 5/28).
DEAL WITH THE DEVILS: CNBC's Darren Rovell noted AIG is still on ManU's jerseys because the sponsorship agreement is a "solid contract, and ManU likely can't get the same amount of dollars in this environment." AIG is "going to cover the $20-28(M) that (it) reportedly owes through 2010." Also, to add "more negativity to all of this, if AIG changes its name to AIU … the company might have to pay Nike, ManU's uniform maker, to re-do the jerseys that are already being made for next year." However, Rovell noted while it is "certainly a bit uncomfortable, there are marketers who are happy to see AIG on the jerseys. Their argument is … organizations have to market themselves in order to do future business" ("Street Signs," CNBC, 5/27).
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