Sportswear giants pause long-term partnership.
German sportswear giants Adidas have put their partnership with the Russian Football Federation on hold amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Adidas supply both the men’s and women’s national Russian teams with kits.
Adidas, who have been a partner of the Russian Football Federation since 2008, become the latest organisation to impose sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Adidas and the Russian Football Federation had most recently renewed their partnership in 2018, and the deal was set to expire at the end of 2022.
An Adidas spokesperson released a short statement on the matter, which read:
“Adidas is suspending its partnership with the Russian Football Federation (RFS) with immediate effect.”
Russia and the CIS region adds up to almost 2.9% of Adidas’ total revenue, with the German sportswear brand having generated almost US$651 million from the region in 2020.
The decision comes just days after FIFA and UEFA jointly decided to suspend all Russian national and club teams from competing in any of their international tournaments. UEFA has also rescheduled the UEFA Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris and terminated its long-time sponsorship deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
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