Benzinga - by Chris Katje, Benzinga Staff Writer.
One of the most searched items on Google of 2023 was the Middle East conflict involving the Hamas terrorist group and the regions of Israel and Gaza.
Israel is losing its sponsor for its soccer team, but it likely has nothing to do with the current war.
What Happened: Sportswear company PUMA SE (OTC:PUMSY) is ending its sponsorship of Israel's soccer team, a move that comes as Israel is the topic of the ongoing war in the region.
Puma said the decision had nothing to do with the war or past boycotts of the sponsorship, according to a report from the Financial Times.
Puma has been the sponsor of the Israeli soccer team since 2018 and its current sponsorship will run through 2024 before expiring.
Boycotts against Puma over the sponsorship began in 2018 with activists stating the sportswear company was sponsoring Israeli clubs in the controversial West Bank territory, which Puma denied.
Puma was attacked by the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is now taking credit for the sponsorship ending. The BDS previously targeted Ben & Jerry's, an ice cream brand owned by Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL). Ben & Jerry's decided to stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank after pressure.
The Israel Football Association has denied the BDS's claim it was responsible, stating it had an option to renew with Puma through 2026, but decided in September it would not after failing to reach an agreement on the terms and conditions of a renewal.
"The decision is based solely on business reasons," Puma communications chief Kerstin Neuber said, as shared by the Associated Press.
Puma said the decision to not renew with Israel was reached in 2022 as part of the company's "fewer-bigger-better strategy."
Israel's soccer team has had minimal success qualifying for major tournaments, failing to make a Euro tournament and the 1970 World Cup its lone appearance in the major soccer tournament.
FIFA currently ranks Israel as the 75th best team out of 200 teams worldwide.
Israel is currently in the playoffs for qualification in the Euro 2024 soccer tournament. Israel will face off in a semifinal against Iceland in March 2024. The winner will meet the winner of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine. The winner of the four teams will become the last team in Group E of the 2024 Euro, joining Belgium, Slovakia and Romania.
A berth in the Euro 2024 could increase the spotlight on the Israel soccer team and the Puma partnership ending, with Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX)(NASDAQ:FOXA) having television rights to the tournament in the U.S.
Related Link: UN Calls For Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza Amid Rising Tensions Between Israel And US
Why It's Important: Puma is one of the largest sportswear companies in the world and has a prominent place in the soccer market. The company sponsors soccer players like Neymar Jr. (Brazil) and Christian Pulisic (USA).
The company also sponsors some of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, including Manchester City, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
At the 2022 World Cup, Puma sponsored six of the soccer teams that were competing, which ranked third behind Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) and Adidas AG-ADR (OTC:ADDYY) with 13 and 7, respectively.
Puma currently sponsors the national soccer teams of Austria, Iceland, Czech Republic, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Serbia and Switzerland, according to its website.
The sportswear company was previously the sponsor of Italy, which was its biggest deal, but lost out to Adidas in 2022 for the national team. Puma said it will announce a new soccer team partnership that is high-profile soon, according to a memo seen by the Financial Times.
The memo also said Puma will end its sponsorship with other national teams in the future due to commercial success and failure to qualify for international tournaments. The company will end its partnership with Serbia at the end of 2024 as well. Puma said it will "evaluate all other existing partnerships as well as any other upcoming opportunities to ensure we have a strong roster of national teams."
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