Liverpool F.C. to Replace Carlsberg as Lead Sponsor on Sept. 18

(MoneyWatch) 

• UPDATE: Why the New York Yankees Should Allow a Chinese Beer Sponsor on Their Jerseys

Liverpool F.C. has struck a new shirt-sponsor deal to replace Carlsberg, according to the Times. The new sponsor will be unveiled Sept. 18. Standard Chartered has previously been mentioned as a contender for the spot. The Times:

... it is thought that Carlsberg was unwilling to double its ?£7.2million-a-year payments to bring the Merseyside club into line with deals struck recently by Chelsea and Manchester United.

Also hobbling Carlsberg's ability to re-up with the Reds was its ?£50 million sponsorship -- ?£12 million annually -- of the England national team and the Football Association generally. That sponsorship gets Carlsberg the following rights:

... Carlsberg secured as the official beer of the England team and the Cup and granted exclusive rights at Wembley Stadium, as well as covering Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Liverpool owner George Gillett gave few clues as to who the new sponsor was:

I think people will be pleased and surprised. It will be one of the great, worldwide corporations. And I think it will be a sponsor people will be pleased and surprised to be [associated with] Liverpool.

Pleased and surprised? That's the best-case scenario. Carlsberg has been Liverpool's sponsor since 1992 and its logo almost feels like a part of the official team kit. Fans will be interested in two things: Did the club get the $15 million per year it wanted for the deal, and will the new company be an embarrassment to the team or its fans? (Could it be worse than this Mexican bread company's sponsorship of Chivas Guadalajara?)

He also said the club has paid down its debt "very substantially" and now has "less debt per dollar than any club in the league."

• The top global football sponsorship deals:

1. Manchester United: ?£20 million a year (?£80 million over four years) with Aon
2. Bayern Munich: ?£17 million a year (?£68 million over four years) with T-Home
3. Juventus: ?£15 million a year (?£75 million over five years) with Tamoil
4. Real Madrid: ?£12.7 million a year (?£38 million over three years) with Bwin.com
5. Chelsea: ?£11 million+ a year (?£55 million over five years) with Samsung
6. Liverpool: ?£7.2 million: Liverpool's annual fee from Carlsberg expires in 2010
7. Arsenal: ?£6.7 million a year (?£100 million over 15 years) with Emirates

BNET's previous coverage of football advertising:

• Standard Chartered Eyed in ?£15M Liverpool F.C. Sponsor Deal
• Carlsberg Confirms Talks With Liverpool on ?£7.5M Sponsor Pact
• Is Chelsea's New Sponsor Deal With Samsung Big Enough to Affect Its Debts?
• Arsenal's ?£100M Sponsorship Deal With Emirates No Longer Looks Like a Good Deal
• Will Death of Ex-Saatchi CEO Dreyfus Lift Curse of Marseille?
• Liverpool F.C. Seek ?£80 Mil. Deal With Carlsberg, But the Brewer May Not Easily Be Replaced
• Manchester United Sign Aon to Replace AIG as Shirt Sponsor; Club Returns to Profitability