FA To Sign New Sponsorship For England, FA Cup With LG

The FA is set to sign a "blue-chip sponsorship" for England and the FA Cup to "replace the ditched gambling-sector contract with Ladbrokes," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Korean electronics company LG, which has "numerous sports sponsorship tie-ups around the globe," is understood to be close to agreeing to a deal with the FA for around the £4M ($5.4M) a year that Ladbrokes was paying. It will "be a relief for the FA to attract a proven sponsor in what is a crowded market with plenty of competition from other sports offering title opportunities." The Ladbrokes deal was terminated in June, "only one season into a four-year agreement." The FA board decided it was "no longer appropriate for the ruling body to have a betting sponsorship when FA rules prevent anyone professionally involved in the sport from gambling on football" (DAILY MAIL, 9/18).