Sponsors backing Australia’s footballers 15/06/2010 |
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Australia’s footballers have received the backing of their team sponsors – despite their horrendous performance during their World Cup defeat by Germany.
Pim Verbeek’s men were crushed 4-0 in their opening game of the competition, leading analysts to doubt whether the team’s sponsors would renew their deals when they expire next year.
Lynne Anderson, the managing director of sponsorship consultancy Repucom International, warned Australia’s players that sponsors would demand answers should their performances continue to deteriorate.
''Sponsors who want that international exposure that the World Cup gives them are prepared to take the ups and downs … all they want to know is if there's a plan in place to get [the Socceroos] back on track,'' she said.
''No one is going to be walking away after one match and if they do there's usually something else going on in the background,'' Ms Anderson said.
Qantas, who has sponsored the team over the past 15 years also weighed in on the issue.
Qantas spokeswoman, Olivia Wirth, said: ''While we're disappointed like the rest of Australia, we remain committed to the team for the duration of the tournament and encourage all Aussie football fans to continue to show their ongoing support.''
She also revealed that Qantas would continue its marketing plans “throughout the tournament and beyond''.
Meaghan Telford, a spokeswoman for NAB, a sponsor since 2005, said: ''We are 100 per cent behind them and the Football Federation of Australia. There's no change for us.''
Optus, which signed a three-year deal in 2008, added: ''We are a long-term supporter of the Socceroos,'' while Nike, the team's kit supplier, said there were ''no changes at all''.
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