MARCH 2022

As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, the world of sport is taking a stand against Russian aggression

The world of sport has been swift in condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine and with more than just words. The UEFA Champions League final was moved from Saint Petersburg to Paris and several clubs have announced actions against sponsors with roots in Russia.

One of the first clubs to react to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was German soccer club FC Schalke 04 who already a day after Russian tanks rolled across the border announced that they were removing the logo of Gazprom, one of their biggest sponsors, and replacing it instead with their own logo.

Gazprom, a state-owned energy firm based in Saint Petersburg, has been one of FC Schalke 04’s main sponsors since 2006. It is also one of the main sponsors of the UEFA Champions League.

In one of the biggest turns, UEFA and FIFA announced it would suspend Russian clubs and national teams from competitions. until further notice. At the time of writing, UEFA was also in talk with its lawyers to end the commercial sponsorship, according to Sky Sport News. According to CBS Sports, Gazprom has been a sponsor of Champions League since 2012, with a deal worth a reported USD45 million a year.

Manchester United was the next club to react to events in Ukraine. On 25 February, the club issued a statement, “In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot’s sponsorship rights,” it read. “We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected.”

Aeroflot has been United's official carrier since 2013 and the latest deal was due to run until 2023, according to the BBC. The deal was worth GBP40 million, according to The Daily Mail.

In a surprising move, Chelsea FC’s owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abromovich announced on 26 February, that he was handing over control of the club to the trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation. “I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans,” the statement said. Only a few days later, it came out that Abromovich was looking to sell Chelsea FC and had invited select individuals to make an offer.

Poland and Sweden has refused to play Russia in the World Cup qualifiers.

Formula 1 also cancelled the Russian Grand Prix and the IOC encouraged all their international federations to cancel or relocate events planned in Russia and Belarus.

These are just some examples of how the world of sport is taking a stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine. More examples are likely to follow. The reactions are an indication that sport is becoming increasingly politicised and making use of its power and influence.

The Sponsorship Experts welcome these moves. We offer services that guide rights holders in how to manage sponsors and activation, including crisis management. As has been seen numerous times, the wrong statement, action or association has the potential to anger audiences in the best case and ruin a brand in the worst case. And by the looks of it, the world of sport has taken note.

Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. is an independent marketing consultancy based in Bangkok, Thailand specialising in commercial sponsorship and partnership marketing, working with both rights holders and brands - acting as a catalyst by bringing them together and maximising the relationship.

We have packaged, sold and managed sponsorship and partnership opportunities for a wide range of rights holders and worked with many of the world’s leading brands to source and engage the right sponsorships and partnerships for them to maximise.



Please contact us for more information: Tel./Fax: +66 2622 0605 – 7 Email: info@paulpoole.co.th