Atletico Madrid, the Spanish soccer giants, have confirmed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Riyadh Air, the Saudi Arabian airline.
Under a multi-year agreement, the carrier’s logo will debut on the front of the team’s kits from the opening game of the 2023-24 LaLiga season on Monday (August 14) against newly-promoted Granada.
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Riyadh Air replaces WhaleFin as Atletico’s main sponsor after the cryptocurrency firm’s parent company Amber Group prematurely terminated its five-year deal with the team.
The Singapore-based asset management corporation made the decision due to the crash in the crypto market.
Amber signed what was meant to be a long-term agreement with Atletico in July 2022, valued at €40 million ($43.7 million) per year.
The deal, which was due to run through 2026-27, represented the LaLiga side’s most lucrative shirt sponsorship. WhaleFin had taken over from Plus500, the Israel-based online trading platform.
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By GlobalDataAtletico continued to feature the WhaleFin logo on the front of their shirts for recent pre-season matches.
The club’s agreement with Riyadh Air is reportedly worth more than the WhaleFin contract.
The deal represents Riyadh Air’s first sports sponsorship since launching in March. The airline is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.
As well as becoming Atletico’s front-of-shirt sponsor, the company will also serve as the club’s official airline partner.
Meanwhile, Actual Group, the French employment agency, has expanded its partnership with Lille to become a shirt sponsor of the French Ligue 1 side through 2025-26.
The deal was brokered by international sports marketing agency Sportfive, the club's official commercial rightsholder.
Actual’s logo will feature on the left pocket of Lille’s shirts in Ligue 1 matches for the next three seasons.
The deal strengthens the ties between the two parties as Actual has been a partner and supplier of the club since 2022. It has now upgraded to become a premium partner.
The company’s branding will continue to be present on the LED boards at Lille’s Decathlon Arena Stade Pierre Mauroy stadium and on the panels of the training ground, as well as on the club's digital media and social networks.
Actual will also support the club with recruiting staff for matchdays and events.
