Argentina National Football Team to sign Chinese brand Der

Update on May 24: It is apparently that this partnership has been confirmed and true, as the official website of Der is displaying a relevant poster on its homepage and various media have treated it as true. 

It has been disclosed by Chinese online football media account Zutan Oumei Hui (足坛欧美汇) which belongs to Sohu, that the Argentina Football Association is going to partner with the Chinese furniture and new materials manufacturer and service supplier, Der. It will be the first time the AFA partners with a Chinese sponsor. 

Der, headquartered in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is a manufacturer of wooden floors and furniture and has been listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 2011. According to the report, one of Der’s floor products, the Der Floor ranks third in market share in China and is one of the 500 most valuable brands in China. 

Der is a veteran brand in sports sponsorship. It sponsored the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Chinese national fencing team, the 2017 International Champions Cup China and other sports properties. 

The Argentina men’s national football team has global stars such as Messi, Gonzalo Higuaín and Javier Mascherano and is currently ranked in 5th position in the latest FIFA rankings. As the 2018 FIFA World Cup draws closer, the practice of football marketing by teaming up with national football teams and global football stars is becoming very popular among Chinese brands. Other recent partnerships between Chinese brands and national football teams or stars include Changhong and the Belgium national football team, TCL and Neymar, GOME mobile phone and Luis Suarez, Eastroc Super Drink and Portugal men’s national football team. 

There is no information yet as to when the partnership will be officially announced. 

Source: Zutan Oumei Hui 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick