Reports: Emirates to sign three-year FA Cup deal

England's Football Association (FA) is reportedly set to sign a three-year title sponsorship deal with Emirates for the FA Cup.

According to several media outlets in the UK, including the Guardian and the Daily Mail, Dubai-based carrier will pay UK£10 million (US$15.38 million) a season to rebrand the world's oldest soccer competition as the Emirates FA Cup. It will be the first time the cup has had a title sponsor, although it has had exclusive presenting partnerships with the likes of E.On and Littlewoods and was known as the Axa-Sponsored FA Cup from 1998 to 2002.

The FA, which is believed to be discussing a provisional agreement at a board meeting today, has so far denied claims that a deal has been completed. It released a statement that discussions are ongoing with 'a number of parties'.
The FA Cup has been without a lead sponsor this season for the first time since 2006, when it was backed by a group of brands under a different commercial structure. Budweiser ended its presenting sponsorship of the competition when its UK£9 million (US$19.34 million) a year contract expired at the end of last season, and has since returned as an official beer partner.

Holders Arsenal will play Aston Villa in this year's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on 30th May

ADO Den Haag extend shirt sponsorship with Basic-Fit

 

 Dutch top tier soccer side ADO Den Haag have extended a sponsorship deal with health and fitness brand Basic-Fit.

The deal takes the association between the two entities into a fifth year. Basic-Fit will remain on the front of the Den Haag shirts.

The one-year extension to the deal was announced at Basic-Fit's headquarters in Hoofddorp earlier this week, but financial details were not revealed.

ADO Den Haag currently sit 13th in the Eredivisie, safely above the relegation positions, with two games of the 2014/15 season to play

Report: Lille to replace Nike with New Balance

 

According to reports in France, French soccer club LOSC Lille will sign a sponsorship deal with New Balance to replace Nike as their official kit supplier.
 

Lille's deal with US sports manufacturer Nike expires in June 2016 and it is thought the Ligue 1 side would favour signing a kit deal with another American supplier. Reports suggest a deal with New Balance would be at least six years in length.
 

If Lille confirm an agreement with New Balance, it would mark the American sportswear brand's debut in French soccer's top flight.
 

Lille would be joining a host of other soccer clubs to have penned kit supply deals with New Balance, which re-branded from Warrior Sports in 2014. These include the likes of Liverpool FC, Celtic FC and FC Porto, in addition to the Costa Rica and Panama national soccer teams.
 

Lille play at the ultra-modern Stade Pierre-Mauroy stadium and are currently eighth in the Ligue 1 table.

The FA to complete Panini collection

The Football Association (FA), the governing body of soccer in England, has agreed a four-year deal with collectible sticker and trading card company Panini.
 

The partnership will see members of the England national soccer team appear in their official kit in Panini sticker-book collections for the first time since Uefa Euro 1996.
 

The FA will create a 'swap shop' in the family enclosure of Wembley Stadium where fans can complete their collections, and experience the latest Panini products.
 

The England team will feature in a range of products sold across the world, featuring global stars such as Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere. The first collectable series, following the team on their quest to qualify for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, will be distributed globally and will appeal to England fans everywhere.
 

In addition to traditional football stickers and trading cards, Panini's expansion in other product areas will bring the addition of an array of other merchandise, including 3D collectables, digital and multi-media format collections.
 

Stuart Turner, the commercial director of The FA, said: "As The FA continues to make significant moves on an international scale, the aligned global plans and expansion is a perfect fit. Working with Panini following their recent successes at the Fifa World Cup in 2014 is a particularly exciting opportunity for The FA.
 

"As the governing body of football, this partnership will enable The FA to invest in developing more opportunities for people of all ages to play at the grassroots as well as connecting fans with their England heroes - whether first-time or seasoned collectors."
 

Peter Warsop, the Panini group licensing director, added: "Panini is dedicated to its collectors and their aspirations to get authentic and official products; The FA agreement completes an important piece of the jigsaw in that as well as the official tournament rights, for such things as Euro 2016, England joins other federations to ensure 100 per cent authenticity."
 

Panini was founded in 1961 and now distributes to more than 120 countries.

Neymar signs Brazil-only Listerine deal

FC Barcelona star Neymar has signed a deal to become the face - and mouth - of Listerine across Brazil.
 

The 23-year old will appear in national advertising campaigns over the next two years, after striking the deal with parent company Johnson & Johnson's Brazil division. Neymar announced the news on his Facebook page.
 

"We bet on Neymar for his charisma and [ability] to be an amplifier, contributing to the brand's growth," said Ronaldo Art, Johnson & Johnson Brazil's consumer manager.
 

Listerine joins a roster of Neymar partners which includes Volkswagen, Claro, Panasonic, PokerStars, Nike and Rexona.
 

Once his FC Barcelona commitments are complete this season, Neymar is expected to play for Brazil in June's Copa America, which will take place in Chile.

 

Man City's spirit and belief is back, says Pellegrini

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini  Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hailed his team's spirit and belief after Saturday's 3-2 win over Aston Villa and said those qualities had been lacking in recent Premier League games.

The champions let slip a two-goal lead, given them by Sergio Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov, as Villa pegged the hosts back with second-half strikes from Tom Cleverley and Carlos Sanchez.

Fernandinho then stabbed home the winner in the 89th minute to save City's blushes and help them leapfrog Arsenal and Manchester United into second place.

It was a cruel blow for Villa, who had enjoyed the lion's share of possession, and Pellegrini said it was the result and not the performance that mattered.

"Today we didn't play as well but we had the spirit and fight to win in the last five minutes despite their late equaliser," the Chilean told the BBC.

"The results are always more important than the performances but I think we normally play well. Today we showed the spirit and the belief that perhaps we have not had in other games when we have had more possession.

"I was not satisfied with the way we played today but sometimes you need different things to win games."
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Lewis Hamilton stays top of 2015 Sunday Times Sport Rich List

Lewis Hamilton is still the richest sportsman in Britain with a fortune of £88m but Wayne Rooney has overtaken Jenson Button to sit second in the 2015 Sunday Times Sport Rich List.

Formula 1 champion Hamilton, 30, lives as a tax exile in Monaco and his wealth has increased by £20m since last year.
Manchester United and England captain Rooney's overall wealth is up by £12m to £72m, £1m ahead of F1 driver Button.
Tennis player Andy Murray is now fourth with amassed earnings valued at £48m.
The 27-year-old Scot, who was a 2015 Australian Open finalist, overtook QPR defender Rio Ferdinand, whose earnings total £44m.
Next is Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who is valued at £42m and will leave Merseyside to join LA Galaxy at the end of the season.
Rooney, 29, is set to join former Manchester United midfielder and ex-England captain David Beckham as the only British footballer to amass a fortune of more than £100m.
In seventh, basketballer Luol Deng, 30, is the highest-placed Briton based in the United States.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is the richest manager in Britain with a fortune of £40m, £2m ahead of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who he faces on Sunday in the Premier League.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, 25, has amassed £10m in the last year after success in the Open Championship and the US PGA Championship to also take his earnings to £38m.
He is tied in 10th with Wenger, Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs and veteran golfer Sir Nick Faldo.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2015
	Person	Sport	2015 wealth	2014 wealth
1	Lewis Hamilton	Motor racing	£88m	£68m
2	Wayne Rooney	Football	£72m	£60m
3	Jenson Button	Motor racing	£71m	£63m
4	Andy Murray	Tennis	£48m	£40m
5	Rio Ferdinand	Football	£44m	£44m
6	Steven Gerrard	Football	£42m	£37m
7=	Luol Deng	Basketball	£40m	£36m
7=	Jose Mourinho	Football	£40m	(new)
9	Frank Lampard	Football	£39m	£37m
10=	Sir Nick Faldo	Golf	£38m	(new)
10=	Ryan Giggs	Football	£38m	£36m
10=	Rory McIlroy	Golf	£38m	£28m
10=	Arsene Wenger	Football	£38mhttp://www.bbc.com