Moneyball

Everything's got a price

Global football is no longer just about sport. Money matters, and in a big way. In this third edition of an eight-part series, our contributor looks at the financial boost sponsorships give to clubs and how Asia is becoming key to this revenue stream.

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What do 20th Century Fox, adidas, Aeroflot, Tag Heuer and Uber have in common? Well done if you knew that they are all global partners of Manchester United for the 2018-19 season, but did you know that group also includes Kansai Paint, Mlily, Aladdin Street and Manda Fermentation?

The biggest European clubs have gone to great lengths to court corporate sponsors as a key source of revenue as they seek to fund ever-increasing transfer fees and player wages.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 27, 2018, with the headline Everything's got a price. Subscribe