Credit Agricole pulls out Ad campaign for France | Advantage Sports

In a startling development, sponsors of the French soccer team, Credit Agricole pulled out their TV campaign celebrating the French Soccer team after the team performed abysmally and as the sponsors put it  - “is embattled in controversy”

The team’s corporate sponsors have held conference calls to voice their anger at the players’ refusal to train.

There are very few active sponsors out there who take pains to step on to the field and some may still debate whether they have such a role to play , in any sport. However Corporate sponsors and budgets are an important part of the team’s brand and they need to carry a fiduciary responsibility, to be executed in a formal role withe the team. It may seem opportune here that this might happen thru an existing sports functionary on the team. Similar fracas in IPL with team owners or the clubby nature of teams in NFL or the NBA show light on the critical role team owners and sponsors play.

However sports persons are right in their sometimes standoffish stance to these entreaties  in that this role is sprung on them and typically on a bad day. Though formal processes are over hyped and narrow in approach, sports persons can’t be expected to absorb the role of the sponsor/owner as and when it happens and debates on such interventions during disruptive climes are warranted.

In this particular case as well, there will be popular support for the action and sports officials will be on the wrong side arguing for the sake of argument or apologising for their poor performance in front of a theatrical act. It may now become important for everyone to assume the important role of corporate sponsor into the team’s fabrc and provide a discerning option for sponsors and/or corporate owners that want to distance themselves from the game.

While we were tempted to carry this opinion in our financial research streams, we thought it wise to let the game go on without this undue stress.

Ft.com

Sponsorship and TV rights of the French national team are worth €70m ($86.3m), according to Les Echos. The team sponsors are retailer Carrefour, utility provider GDF Suez, Crédit Agricole, SFR, the telecoms company, and sport goods maker Adidas.

And China never qualified

In a eerie blast of icy change, today’s LA Times blogs carry Asian stories prominently leading with rural BPO in India and blogging about how Soccer is still alien to China. Knowing our asian brethre, they wouldn’t be far behind next time in Rio..