News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp
Home  » Sports » Nike stay as Juventus sponsor

Nike stay as Juventus sponsor

August 03, 2006 20:28 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

U.S. sportswear group Nike will still sponsor Juventus despite the club being demoted to Italian football's second division, a Nike spokesman said on Thursday.

Juventus' main sponsors -- Nike and Libya's Tamoil -- have been expected to renegotiate their contracts with the club after it was relegated for seeking an unfair advantage in the appointment of referees.

"We sponsor and we will continue to sponsor Juventus," the spokesman said.

Nike has a 12-year sponsorship contract, for 12 million euros ($15.36 million) a year, which started in 2003.

However, the spokesman declined to comment on whether the terms would be renegotiated. Tamoil has not commented on its deal with Juventus.

At 0956 GMT, shares in Juventus were up 7.8 percent at 1.82 euros. The stock has been extremely volatile, and shares have lost about one-fifth of their value since the scandal broke, recovering slightly over the past weeks.

Juventus potentially faces years of financial problems, with sponsorship income, television rights deals and ticket sales hit by the scandal over rigged matches.

The club was stripped of its last two Italian league titles and there has been an exodus of top players.

Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, midfielders Emerson and Patrick Vieira, plus defenders Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta have all left.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Paris Olympics 2024

India's Tour Of Australia 2024-25