Dubai: Emirates airline is in sponsorship talks with the English Football Association (FA), the airline confirmed on Wednesday.
UK media reported on Tuesday that the FA Cup is in talks for a £30 million sponsorship deal that would see the knockout tournament renamed the Emirates FA Cup.
“Emirates can confirm discussions with the English Football Association (FA) regarding a sponsorship partnership is underway. Once an agreement has been reached, we will be in a position to share more information,” an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News by email.
Negotiations are reportedly in the advanced stage but no contracts have been signed, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. The deal is reportedly for three years and at £10 million a year is £1 million more than the previous sponsorship. Emirates did not comment on the reported value of the sponsorship.
The FA Cup has been without a sponsor for one year after American company Budweiser opted to not renew its deal. While the deal with Budweiser was styled as “in association with”, the new agreement will see the 144-year-old knockout competition rebranded as the Emirates FA Cup.
FA, who are targeting a total of six secondary partners, has partnerships in place with William Hill and Nike. The broadcasting deal with the BBC and BT Sport, seen at Wembley as having helped increase the competition’s profile, also runs until the end of the 2017-18 season.
An FA spokesman said on Tuesday: “We remain in discussion with a number of parties regarding FA Cup partner opportunities.” The FA board meets on Thursday with the deal expected to be on the agenda.
