Overview
Multi-million deals – this is how CS sponsorships in sport will continue
The crisis at Credit Suisse has not left Swiss sport untouched either. The big bank has been active as a major sponsor for years, especially in football.
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Florian Gnägi
Tobias Wedermann
Lucas Werder
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CS has been supporting the SFV for 30 years. Not only the senior national teams, but also the youngsters are generously funded. The success can be seen. Representing this in the picture: The Swiss U-17 world champions of 2009.
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When asked by 20 minutes on Monday, Credit Suisse said: “We will continue to carry out our corresponding commitments unchanged for the time being.”
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The top football league has also been called the Credit Suisse Super League since the 2021/22 season.
Marc Schumacher/freshfocus
The bank is to pay a total of around CHF 32 million for the contract for the naming rights to the Super League from the 2021/22 to 2025 season.
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
Even after his resignation, tennis superstar Roger Federer is one of the most important faces of CS in sports.
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Credit Suisse has played a central role in Swiss sport for many years.
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In football in particular, the bank invested a lot of money in the Swiss association and league.
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CS also supports sports aid as well as players and events in other sports such as tennis, golf and horseback riding.
Swiss national team
The collaboration between the Swiss Football Association (SFV) and Credit Suisse is a success story. CS has been involved as the main partner since 1993 – and made the sponsorship conditional on half being invested in young people. Since then, the men’s national team has qualified four times for a European Championship and five times for a World Cup. CS also supports the women’s teams and since last year has been paying the same bonuses for the A-Nati as for the men. The association receives several million francs from CS every year.
“We have existing contracts with Credit Suisse until June 30, 2024. Our contacts assured us on Monday that they would certainly fulfill these contracts to the end,” says SFV media manager Adrian Arnold. This is very good news for football and Swiss sport as a whole. “We hope that we can continue this successful partnership – even beyond the previously agreed time, in whatever form,” says Arnold. We have also received signals from Credit Suisse that there is an interest in continuing the partnership. “As of today, we do not assume that we need a new partner.”
Super League
Since the 2021/2022 season, the highest Swiss football league has been called the Credit Suisse Super League – and that by 2025 for around eight million per season, according to media reports. Ringier Sports is the league’s contractual partner in the area of marketing rights and, when asked by 20 Minuten, announced that the partnership was currently expected to continue. “We are in contact with Credit Suisse about this,” says Johanna Walser from Ringier Sports.
At the request of 20 minutes, Credit Suisse confirmed on Monday that no changes or even terminations were planned for the sponsorship deals at the current time: “We will continue our commitments for the time being without changes,” said the big bank.
Zurich stadium project
In a few years, the new Zurich football stadium is to be opened on the Hardturm site. CS is a partner in the project and holds the naming rights for the stadium. “There is currently no reason to assume that the existing contracts cannot be kept,” explains Markus Spillmann from Projekt Ensemble to 20 minutes. What a specific successor solution might look like is still too early to judge. It is unclear whether the future stadium will be called “Credit Suisse Arena” despite the UBS takeover.
Women’s EM candidacy
On April 4th it will be known whether Switzerland will be awarded the 2025 Women’s European Championship. The Swiss candidature is supported by CS as the main partner and has good chances of being awarded the tournament. Do the negative reports about CS affect the chances for the Swiss application dossier? The SFV says: “We have contractual obligations up to and including the end of the candidacy. How to proceed after the award must then be renegotiated, »says Adrian Arnold. He hopes that this new banking construct will also get involved in women’s football.
Engagements besides football
One of Credit Suisse’s most important brand ambassadors is said to be earning several million francs a year even after retiring: Roger Federer. CS also acts as a sponsor for the Laver Cup initiated by the tennis superstar.
As a “platinum partner” of Swiss Sports Aid, CS supports Swiss athletes in marginal sports financially. When asked by 20 minutes, Sporthilfe did not want to comment on the CS crisis. The White Turf equestrian event in St. Moritz, which is also supported by CS, says they are in contact with the bank, which will continue its commitment unchanged.
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