Puma Will End Sponsorship of Israeli National Soccer Team in 2024
Puma will terminate its sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association (IFA) in 2024 as part of a decision made in 2022, prior to the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in October, the company said.
In a statement to FN, Puma said it “decided to implement its new fewer-bigger-better strategy” when it comes to sports marketing. This plan, as explained by Puma global director of brand and marketing Richard Teyssier in a blog post last week, means defining more clearly what creates value and excellence for the brand.
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Puma said it would announce two newly signed national soccer teams later this month and in 2024. The company’s contract with Serbia will also expire in 2024.
“These decisions were taken in 2022 in line with the regular timelines for the design and development of the team jerseys,” Puma said.
The Financial Times first reported on the news.
The move comes as activist groups continue to call for a consumer boycott of Israel and Israeli products amid the conflict in Gaza. After terrorist organization Hamas launched an attack on Israel through the border of Gaza on Oct. 7, killing, injuring and kidnapping hundreds of people, Israel launched a wave of counterattacks on Gaza.
While Puma said the decision to end its sponsorship was made prior to the war, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), which supports a boycott against Puma, described the news as a “win” for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for the boycott of Israeli products, associations and institutions.
Even prior to the start of the war, the BDS movement called for a boycott of Puma due to its sponsorship of the Israeli Football team which the movement said ” includes teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.”
FN has reached out to IFA for a comment.
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