In another move last week, adidas went public with its sponsorship deal that sees the brand become the official sportswear to Liverpool Football Club, commencing this July. adidas had the Liverpool deal from 1985 through 1996 before losing out to Reebok in a ten-year deal that expires this year. Red now joins Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Olympic Marseille and the recently-signed Chelsea, whose deal also starts next season, to the adidas stable.
While many have been speculating on this change since adidas announced the acquisition of Reebok, management maintains that the negotiations with the club were a separate matter. There are reports out of the U.K. that Liverpool was in a dispute with Reebok over payments, as they were being forced to rely on merchandise arriving from other outlets to supply the club shop, an issue that is expected to be resolved quickly with the new deal.
