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Chelsea await approval over new shirt sponsorship deal with Infinite Athlete

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Chelsea are waiting for the Premier League to approve their £40million-a-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with sports data company Infinite Athlete.

Infinite Athlete was created just a week before discussions about becoming Chelsea’s sponsor began and its estimated turnover is £12m this year, so it is being asked for funding proof.

The start-up aims to prove it has raised significant funding through venture capital and is keen to use the Chelsea sponsorship to launch its brand globally.

There are also concerns whether the deal will pass Premier League “fair market” rules, with Infinite-backer Silver Lake linked to Clearlake Capital, owner of a majority stake in Chelsea.

Chelsea’s new CEO Chris Jurasek, who was an executive at Clearlake, is understood to be working on the deal.

Jurasek aims to end a run of sponsorless matches for Chelsea, who will likely face Luton in the Premier League with a blank shirt on Friday night.

It follows Chelsea pulling out of a deal with betting firm Stake.com following a negative fan reaction and the Premier League blocking a deal with Paramount+ over concerns the deal would break rules protecting the league’s TV rights holders.

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FIFA Announces Multi-Year Agreement With Rock-it Cargo 

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FIFA has selected Rock-it Cargo, a Global Critical Logistics (GCL) company, as the Official Logistics Provider of the FIFA World Cup 26™ – the game-changing edition of the tournament set to take place across 16 Host Cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

“In Rock-it Cargo we have found the perfect partner to entrust with the critical logistics services for the biggest FIFA World Cup ever.”

Rock-it Cargo will help FIFA create history, providing multi-year planning, management and event-logistics services as the FIFA World Cup™ expands to 48 teams and 104 matches across three countries and 16 Host Cities in 2026.

Appointed following a highly competitive request-for-proposal process, Rock-it Cargo demonstrated exceptional experience in planning and delivering event logistics to the world’s most complex and high-profile sporting and entertainment events.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said: “In Rock-it Cargo we have found the perfect partner to entrust with the critical logistics services for the biggest FIFA World Cup ever. We’ve been impressed by Rock-it Cargo’s experience and attention to detail, teamwork and passion to deliver operational excellence. Their global model fits perfectly with our extensive ambitions for the tournament.”

As the Official Logistics Provider of the FIFA World Cup 26, Rock-it Cargo will provide planning, management and event-logistics services, including with regard to customs and international freight forwarding, warehouse and distribution operations, on-site venue operations at the International Broadcast Centre and team equipment operations.

The multi-year partnership will begin in 2025, with Rock-it Cargo providing selected services for the new FIFA Club World Cup™ to be hosted across 12 stadiums in 11 different cities in June and July next year. The partnership will expand in scope to include a broader range of services for the FIFA World Cup a year later, with Rock-it Cargo also taking up a position as a Tournament Supporter for the game-changing global event.

President and CEO of GCL, the parent company of Rock-it Cargo, Daniel Rosenthal said: “We are deeply honoured to have been selected by FIFA to support the planning and delivery of the biggest FIFA World Cup ever. For nearly 50 years our team has been trusted by the world’s biggest artists and North American sports leagues to deliver extraordinary experiences through extensive planning, contingency management and outstanding event coordination. We look forward to drawing on our experience in the FIFA World Cup 26 stadiums and Host Cities to help successfully execute the 39-day tournament.”

Beyond its direct relationship with FIFA, Rock-it Cargo’s status as FIFA’s Official Logistics Provider – combined with its deep North American operational and customs experience, centralised warehouse infrastructure and last-mile ownership – will enable a more efficient and sustainable logistics service to be provided to FIFA’s partners, vendors, broadcasters and other stakeholders.

 

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Andres Iniesta Completes Buying Of Danish Club

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Andres Iniesta Completes Buying Of Danish Club

Ex-Spain and Barcelona superstar, Andres Iniesta dominated international and domestic football for decades on the pitch, and he’s now hoping to do the same except on the other side of the white lines after becoming the co-owner of Danish third-division side Helsingør.

Iniesta, who recently announced his retirement from playing said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know football in a different way.”

This collaboration between the Swiss investment group Stoneweg, and the Spaniards, newly formed sports management company NSN is his first off-field football adventure, though the 40-year-old is currently undertaking his coaching badges in the United Arab Emirates.

In a lengthy interview with the clubs’ website, the man who scored the winner in the 2010 World Cup Final said: “It’s an incredibly exciting club with really good facilities, a lot of good people in and around the club, and a potential in the city to become an important part of Danish football.”

Helsingør currently sit in 7th place in the 12-team division and are coached by fellow Spaniard, Pep Alomar, while the sporting director, Quim Ramón, has previously worked within Barça’s youth academy.

The Danish club was founded in 2005 when five clubs merged together, however, in their 20 years of existence they have never reached the top-flight. Iniesta believes that there is opportunity and ambition to change that saying: “It’s an incredibly exciting club with really good facilities, a lot of good people in and around the club, and a potential in the city to become an important part of Danish football.”

The ownership of Helsingør, has been something of a hot potato over the last few years as they were run by the American investment group led by Jordan Gardner for three seasons until August 2022, before being taken over by the local businessman Bo Bay Haugaard.

With Danish football a cheaper option than traditional European leagues, and a steady flow of talented young players, the opportunity to have ROI is attractive to sharp financial investors.

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Barcelona Poised To Sign Staggering €1.7bn Nike Kit Deal

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Barcelona Poised To Sign Staggering €1.7bn Nike Kit Deal

Barcelona are close to agreeing a new mega-money kit manufacturing deal with Nike worth €1.7bn over the next 14 years, reports in Spain have confirmed.

The Catalan giants have had their kits produced by Nike since 2000, marking one of the most successful commercial partnerships of all time.

But it looked as if their bond would be broken when Barcelona president Joan Laporta said in March that he’d be looking to terminate their agreement because of a “flagrant” breaches of contract.

“They had 45 days to compensate us, they did not do so and we informed them that the contract was being terminated, to which they responded with precautionary measures, to which we have responded and are now seeing the solution to these measures,” Laporta ranted.

“They have tried to improve the contract, but they have made efforts that are not enough because we know that the market pays more. The easy thing would be to continue with Nike with a contract below the market, but sometimes the easy thing is not the best for the club.”

Some six months on, there were fresh reports that Barcelona and Nike were ‘very close’ to performing a U-turn, in a deal that would have a significant positive impact on the club’s precarious finances.

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo report, citing various sources, that a fresh agreement is indeed in place – one that will commit Barcelona and Nike to one another until 2038.

The deal is said to include a €158m signing-on bonus for Barcelona, to be paid over the course of the agreement. They will also earn an extra €127m annually, taking the overall value of the deal towards the €1.7bn mark.

Nike’s brand rival, PUMA, who are the kit manufacturer for Premier League champions Manchester City among others, are understood to have tabled a formal offer, but will now watch on as Barcelona’s partnership with the world’s most iconic sports brand stretches towards the 40-year mark.

 

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