Got in shape

The Russian national team changes its technical sponsor before the start of the qualifying tournament

The President of the Russian Football Union, Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko signed a contract yesterday with representatives of Adidas, according to which the famous manufacturer of sports equipment becomes the technical sponsor of the RFU for 10 years. “This contract is not only technical, but also commercial,” Vitaly Mutko told a Vremya Novostei correspondent, implying that Adidas will not only dress Russian football teams of all ages and genders, but will also pay a very significant amount for it. According to some sources, we are talking about $10 million a year, and the total amount of the agreement over ten years will exceed $100 million. Some of it may have to be paid to the former sponsor of the RFU, Nike, as a penalty.

Vitaly Mutko, referring to the wishes of his partners, refused to talk about the numbers, confirming only their order. “It’s really not customary for us to publish such information,” Joslan Robio, senior vice president of sports marketing at Adidas, confirmed to Vremya Novostey. - Moreover, it is now quite difficult to calculate the final figure. The agreement provides not only for equipment for Russian national teams and sponsorship, but also for participation in RFU programs, as well as in amateur football.”

As Vitaly Mutko made it clear, the contract with Adidas stipulates bonuses for reaching the finals of the European and World Championships and for places taken there, and in addition, a certain percentage of products sold in the retail network with the symbols of the RFU. But even the company itself has not decided who will become the football face of the German company in Russia. As Joslan Robiot stated, Adidas has plans to sign a personal contract with some of the Russian football players so that they will join the company of such players as Kaka, Lionel Messi, David Beckham, David Villa, Michael Ballack, Steven Gerard and Raul, with whom they work German manufacturer of sports equipment. But Adidas representatives found it difficult to say who exactly it would be. The agreement with the RFU itself stipulates the participation of all players of the Russian national team in advertising campaigns of sponsors.

However, the RFU president's joy from the new sponsorship contract was periodically overshadowed by questions about the federation's previous partner, Nike. “We just ran out of contract with them,” Vitaly Mutko explained the reasons for changing the technical sponsor. A little later, in a conversation with a Vremya Novostei correspondent, he admitted that the conditions offered by Adidas “are many times better than before, and most importantly, after the contract expires in 2016, we will not have any obligations to them.”

Apparently, the RFU had similar obligations to Nike. The contract with this company was concluded back in 1996 for 12 years through the mediation of one of the companies registered in Austria. By the way, all television rights to show the games of the Russian national team, which Mr. Mutko had been trying to recapture for several years, were transferred to the same company. Payments under the agreement with Nike did not exceed $2 million per year. However, there was a clause in the contract according to which it was to be extended upon its expiration in 2008. This is most likely why the RFU will have to pay Nike some compensation. But in any case, the sums that Adidas did not spare to achieve an advantage over its competitor in one of the most promising markets will cover all the costs of the Russian Football Union.

The numbers of the contract offered by the German manufacturer of the Russian national team were, of course, influenced by the team’s successful performance at Euro 2008. But they are several times less than the amounts in agreements with the German Football Association or the Argentine Federation. But the Russian contract is quite comparable with the Greek, Japanese and the one concluded by the company with South Africa. At the same time, the Russian national team will have its own exclusive uniform with elements of national flavor only in a year, or even only in the final part of the 2010 World Cup, which will be held in South Africa. Tomorrow, for the first match of the qualifying round for this world championship against the Welsh team, the Russians will wear T-shirts without any special frills. Perhaps, along with the manufacturer of the form, its “fortune” will also change. Previously, it was believed that the Russian team was luckier when it played in red.

Andrey VDOVIN