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Jonathan White

“Sport is a very important part of our brand strategy, where we have partnered already with some of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Wang Dexian, the chief executive of Huawei Technologies Netherlands.
That comment was made at the announcement of the company’s relationship with Ajax – “one of the most successful football clubs in the world ever” – and their home ground, the Amsterdam Arena, back in 2014.
Huawei made no bones about wanting to be associated with the best.
“When we asked who was the best team in Mexico, everyone said Club America,” said Huawei’s Zachary Jiang.

So Huawei went and signed a deal with them and got the brand’s logo front and centre of those famous canary yellow jerseys.
The list of sporting partners that Huawei amassed over recent years amounts to some of the biggest names in the global game such as Arsenal, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Turkish side Galatasaray, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica in Europe.


In Africa they have Ajax Amsterdam’s sister side in, Ajax Cape Town, and in Asia, Huawei has sponsored the AFF Suzuki Cup.
Then there’s Colombian champions Independiente Santa Fe, Club America and both Boca Juniors and River Plate in South America.
The Buenos Aires giants contested the Copa Libertadores, the biggest game on the continent, last year and it was River who lifted the trophy with the Huawei logo on the sleeves of their iconic sash shirts.

When the deal with River was announced, Huawei’s Zhang Zhe said that “the sports sponsorships we are carrying out on a global level help us to get closer to our consumers. It lets them feel that Huawei is a local brand.” More interesting was his follow up statement.
“We identify with Argentinean football, as the company shares its values: the passion and professionalism which characterise it.”
Argentine football is notoriously chaotic with clubs linked to quasi-criminal gangs, there is no coincidence that the Copa Libertadores second leg had to be played in Madrid after crowd trouble stopped it going ahead in Argentina.

Realistically, by being associated with success, Huawei have been big winners. Now though, with the accusations of spying for the Chinese state and the spectre of criminal proceedings in the US, these deals are under scrutiny.
Can clubs afford to be associated with a brand so mired in controversy? More importantly, can they afford not to? While the wider world is worried about national security, Huawei has offered clubs financial security.
That is the case for the New Zealand-based Australian A League side Wellington Phoenix. They hope to be playing in Australia’s top flight for “many, many, many years to come”, but that comes at a cost.

Their recent deal with Huawei expired at the end of last season but the club has made it clear that whatever happens they have been reliant on that money, which at the time of signing was the largest ever sponsorship deal in New Zealand football.
“Without that partnership, I’d hate to think where the club would be this year and in the last couple of years,” the club’s general manager David Dome told Stuff.
“Obviously, there are some pretty significant geopolitical challenges to that partnership. Now I don’t know where that’s going to land. I don’t think anybody knows, to be honest with you. It’s hugely disappointing that it’s turned into a political football.”

FT: Club America 3, Seattle 1 (agg. 5-3) More disappointment for @SoundersFC & @MLS, but at least those kits are ! pic.twitter.com/d9S9qGvehq
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 3, 2016

Aside from keeping the club afloat, the Huawei deal also allowed them to bring English Premier League teams to New Zealand and also send a team to play at the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens.
They were joined there by another Huawei sponsored team, Atletico Madrid, who play in a domestic competition, La Liga, that is also Huawei sponsored.
Plenty of football stadiums are also Huawei connected, form Borussia Dortmund’s
It’s not just football. There’s the Norwegian Ski Federation, TV show Hockey Night in Canada and the AFL’s Gold Coast Suns.


The National Rugby League’s Canberra Raiders are unapologetic about their association with Huawei, which dates back to 2012 and even spoke out to rubbish rumours that the deal only existed for the Chinese to get access to public officials in the Australian capital.
“We are proud to carry their logo on the front of our jersey and our relationship has been nothing but positive from the first season they were with us until now,” club chief executive Don Furner told the Associated Press in February. “We would love to keep Huawei on board as sponsor,” he added ahead of negotiations of extending the deal.
It is usually the sponsors doing the ditching. No matter how high-profile, indiscretions have done for some of the biggest names – ask Tiger Woods or Lance Armstrong.

@PhilHecken @UniWatch The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks have a large "Huawei" ad on their cap. Coca-cola on the sleeve pic.twitter.com/kARXDuLiAg
— Graveyard Baseball (@GraveyardBall) May 10, 2016

But there will no doubt be increased calls for these teams and stadiums to drop Huawei as more questions are asked.
How can they not be when an increasing number of countries are banning Huawei from their 5G networks and so many countries are politically in thrall to the US?
Japan’s reigning baseball champions the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ditched Huawei ahead of the new season and more will surely follow.
Sport is not meant to be political but corporate sports washing has further muddied that line. The question is can sport afford a conscience?


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Huawei Technologies

Huawei in sport: can clubs afford to get shirty with controversial sponsorship deals?

Both Boca Juniors and River Plate have been sponsored by Huawei. Photo: AP

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MAY 11: (L-R) Steven May of the Suns, Tom Lynch of the Suns, Travis Boak of the Power and Chen Shaoliang of the Power pose for a photograph with the 2017 Shanghai Cup during the Port Adelaide Power and Gold Coast Suns joint Captain and Coach press conference at Bar Rouge overlooking The Bund on May 11, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media)

(L-R): Alex Rufer from Wellington Phoenix; Nicholas Pennington for Cagliari Calcio; and Marvin Andrews for City Al-Stars pose for a photograph for Soccer Sevens at The Park Lane Hong Kong in Causeway Bay. 17MAY18 SCMP / Xiaomei Chen

Newcastle United's Rolando Aarons (L) dribbles the ball with Phoenix's Manny Muscat in defense during the Phoenix and Newcastle United football match at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on July 26, 2014. AFP PHOTO / MARTY MELVILLE

Soccer Football - Champions League Semi Final Second Leg - Ajax Amsterdam v Tottenham Hotspur - Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 8, 2019 Tottenham's Lucas Moura celebrates scoring their third goal to complete his hat-trick with Dele Alli Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Premier League side Southampton sign record shirt deal with LD Sports – who are Saints’ new Chinese sponsors?

Southampton's shirts will see LD Sports replace Virgin Media as the main sponsor next season. Photo: Reuters

Liverpool in troubled waters with Tibet over contentious Chinese sponsorship deal

Daniel Sturridge in action for Liverpool against Newcastle in the English Premier League. Photo: Reuters

Liverpool FC celebrate after won Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong Stadium. 22JUL17 SCMP / Edward Wong

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp poses with a fan on the Liverpool FC arrival in Hong Kong ahead of the Premier League Asia Trophy. Picture taken at Hong Kong International Airport. 17JUL17 SCMP / Felix Wong

Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United vs Liverpool - St James’ Park, Newcastle, Britain - October 1, 2017 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Liverpool FC's Fans in cheers during Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong Stadium. 22JUL17 SCMP / Edward Wong

Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton vs Burnley - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - October 1, 2017 Everton's Wayne Rooney speaks to referee Jon Moss and his officials after the game Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

epa06253494 Boston Red Sox owner John Henry watches as they play the Houston Astros in the fifth inning of their Major League Baseball (MLB) American League Division Series (ALDS) game three at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 08 October 2017. The winner of the best-of-five series will go on to face either the New York Yankees or the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series. EPA-EFE/JOHN CETRINO

Fifa World Cup: Wanda and Chinese sponsors don’t respect the rules … but that’s a good thing

France midfielder Corentin Tolisso celebrates the team’s semi-final victory against Belgium at the St Petersburg Stadium, where Wanda’s branding features on the advertising hoardings. Photo: AFP

Russia's midfielder Aleksandr Golovin controls the ball during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Patrik STOLLARZ / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO MOBILE PUSH ALERTS/DOWNLOADS

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 08: Wanda Sports CEO Mr. Yang Hengming speaks to journalists as he attends a Wanda media briefing on July 8, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Alex Caparros - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Sport

China

Football

Opinion

Chinese tech giant has used sport’s biggest names as part of its brand strategy but faces increased scrutiny
Several teams have spoken out in defence of company that is mired in controversy globally


Chinese tech giant has used sport’s biggest names as part of its brand strategy but faces increased scrutiny


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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