Liverpool F.C. Seek ?£80 Mil. Deal With Carlsberg, But the Brewer May Not Easily Be Replaced

(MoneyWatch)  Liverpool F.C. want lead sponsors Carslberg to match the ?£80 million deal that Aon struck with Manchester United earlier this month, according to the Times. Such a deal would be priced at roughly ?£20 million a year. Currently, Carslberg pays only ?£7.2 million a year through 2010.

Pulling off such a coup would be both a financial and political victory for Liverpool's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. They have laden the club with debt and (briefly) threatened to replace LFC's beloved manager, Rafael Benitez, making them virtual personae non grata at the club.

The deal must be negotiated by the end of July, The Times said. Carlsberg has the negotiating power of the incumbent, however: Sponsoring Liverpool is no walk in the park -- a new brand coming in would find many a minefield to navigate.

Previously, fans have forced Carlsberg to abandon ads and promotions in The Sun newspaper, which Liverpool fans refuse to read. Currently, Liverpool's fans are demanding an advertiser boycott of Fox Soccer Channel and Sirius/XM's Steven Cohen, who made remarks criticising fans' behavior at games where people died.

In a recent meeting between Liverpool fans and Ian Ayre, commercial director at the club, some fans criticised the brewer for advertising at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday F.C.'s ground, where 96 Liverpool fans died in an infamous stadium crush.

In sum, Liverpool's fans regard the job of the shirt sponsor as supporting the club and its mythos, not selling products.

Also looking for a new deal is Chelsea F.C., whose ?£10 million a year deal with Samsung expires in June 2010. The Times gave this handy list of stats:

• ?£80 million The four-year deal Manchester United signed with Aon takes effect from next summer
• ?£75 million Juventus have a five-year contract with Tamoil, the international oil company
• ?£68 million Bayern Munich's four-year deal with T-Home
• ?£50 million Chelsea signed a five-year contract with Samsung in 2005
• ?£38 million Real Madrid's three-year deal with Bwin.com, the Austria-based online gaming company

• Previously:
• Fox Host Lambasts Sponsors for Abandoning Show After Remarks on Soccer Stadium Deaths
• Liverpool F.C. Might Replace Carlsberg as Shirt Sponsor
• Fox Host Says Advertiser Boycott Over Remarks About Soccer Fan Deaths Has Hurt His Show
• Advertisers Abandon Fox Soccer Channel Host After He Blames Liverpool Supporters for 96 Deaths in Stadium Crush