Manchester United have lost their new training kit sponsor as their fans continue to protest the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.
Manchester United had agreed a ten-year deal worth £200m with The Hut Group (THG), a Manchester-headquartered e-commerce company, which would have seen its protein supplements brand, Myprotein, become the new front-of-shirt sponsor of United’s training kits from July 1.
United’s current training kit sponsor, AON, has held that position since 2014, when it lost the matchday kit sponsorship to Chevrolet.
The annulment comes at the back of increased anti-Glazer protests by Manchester United fans. After the events of last week at Old Trafford that saw the Manchester United v Liverpool game postponed, some fans launched an online campaign with the hashtag #NotAPennyMore, threatening the club’s sponsors with a boycott of their products if they didn’t reconsider their marriage with the Glazer-owned club. The protests have made a real impact on the brands, who are now getting apprehensive about the negative light being thrown on them because of their association with the Red Devils.
Manchester United are not the only one in danger of losing their brand value. In the wake of the Super League debacle, Liverpool‘s Official Watch Partner, Tribus, announced they were cutting ties with the club. More high-profile exits can be expected by July 1, when the next season officially commences. At the end of the day, these brands pay these giant enterprises money for increased positive global exposure, and if that association becomes detrimental to their own value then there isn’t much left to do other than save face and walk away.
THG might just be the first of many that choose to distance themselves from United in the aftermath of the Super League. As fans continue to protest, we are set to see more developments surfacing over the summer.
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