Standard Chartered and Liverpool are in talks for the int'l bank to "extend its agreement as the team’s principal sponsor," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. London-based Standard Chartered, which makes most of its money in Asia, is negotiating with Liverpool "even though the team has wrestled with problems on and off the field" since the original four-year accord was reached in Sept. '09. In a statement the team said, “We are engaged in ongoing conversations with Standard Chartered regarding extending the partnership and continually delivering excellent commercial and community value." Standard Chartered’s sponsorship of Liverpool is "its only agreement with a major sports team." The bank, which also confirmed the discussions, said the “association with Liverpool FC has proved to be positive for the bank and we remain very pleased with the success of the partnership to date.” Liverpool’s revenue from sponsors is second only to ManU in the U.K. Standard Chartered has said that it aligned with Liverpool because of the team’s "large supporter base in Asia, where a 2011 tour drew thousands of fans" (BLOOMBERG, 3/4).
