Puma drops the ball, terminates sponsorship with IFA
3 Min Read
Puma plans to unveil two new sponsorships, including a "statement team", later this year and in early 2024.
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The logo of German sportswear maker Puma is seen on a pair of trousers in Herzogenaurach, southern Germany, on March 1, 2023. (AFP)
Puma will discontinue its sponsorship of the "Israel Football Association" after 2024 as part of the German company's new strategy, focusing on fewer and more prominent partnerships.
The decision was allegedly made last year under Puma's "fewer-bigger-better" approach and is not related to the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The brand, facing calls for boycotts in certain markets due to its support for the Israeli team, is also allowing its contract with Serbia's football team to expire.
Protests are taking place across the #UK urging @Puma to stop sponsoring the "Israel Football Association," which includes settlement teams playing on stolen #Palestinian land.#Puma #BoycottPuma #SaveSilwan #SaveSheikhJarrah #Palestine pic.twitter.com/N1vZHcC31a
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 10, 2021
Puma plans to unveil two new sponsorships, including a "statement team", later this year and in early 2024, aligning with its shift toward a higher-end brand and a focus on the US market.
The decision, which considers metrics such as sales and participation in major tournaments, follows a standard timeline for designing and developing new team jerseys. The stock rose to 2.4%, while year-to-date shares are down 3.6%.
The big picture
Puma initially entered into a kit provision contract with the "Israel Football Association (IFA)" in 2018. However, the company has encountered calls for boycotts from activists who argue that the IFA encompasses teams situated in Israeli settlements within the occupied West Bank, deemed illegal under international law.
Marketing over a #genocide.
— Enaam S. (@AnamSalem) December 9, 2023
New low. Our pain isn’t for sale.
Shame @ZARA. #boycottZara pic.twitter.com/PHWBrjyfKQ
This comes as part of a broader trend where global companies supportive of "Israel" face increased boycott appeals from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement, especially amid the real-time Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Read next: Spanish retailer Zara joins boycott list after controversial ad
Palestine seeks to include firms tied to Israeli settlements on 'terror lists'
Palestinian authorities have consistently called on all nations to designate individuals linked to settler terrorist organizations or companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as "terrorist entities".
Palestinians are urging states to prosecute such entities or individuals and bar them from entering their countries. Despite international condemnation, "Israel" continues its illegal settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories in the wake of the genocide.
The United Nations has released a list of companies with business connections to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, a move praised by the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as a significant step toward holding Israeli and international corporations accountable.
See more: Boycott PUMA: Global day of action
