Samsung Extends Chelsea Partnership

Champions League victors Chelsea have revealed that Samsung will continue its $23.9m annual shirt sponsorship deal with the club until 2015.

The club confirmed to Bloomberg that Samsung has electing to take up an option to continue with its current agreement, with the Korean electronics giant given until the end of June to decide whether to continue a relationship that began in 2005.

Chelsea, owned by Russian Roman Abramovich, negotiated an improved deal in July 2009, which included a renewal option.

Samsung’s decision to continue means that the Champions of Europe will continue to receive less income from its shirt sponsorship deal than Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

In July, Manchester United confirmed a deal with General Motors which will see its Chevrolet brand become the club’s shirt sponsor in 2014 – believed to be worth around $559m over seven years.

Meanwhile, Liverpool also agreed a shirt deal over the summer months with Standard Chartered worth over $33m per season.

Samsung now faces the prospect of changes to its worldwide Olympic partnership agreement, with the International Olympic Committee believed to be considering re-defining sponsorship categories related to technology, given the advent of new tablet devices and the potential clashes between current partners that may result.