Man Utd approach Sahara for shirt sponsorship

The Times of India has reported that European Champions Manchester United have approached Sahara India Pariwar for the sponsorship of their shirts. The Indian company employs 910000 employees in India and is active in the industries of finance, real estate, media and entertainment, services and trading, and tourism. It was founded in 1978 and has its headquarters in Lucknow. This is the first time that an English club approached an Indian company for shirt sponsorship, and is a clear indicator of the expanding economy of the country.

[image thanks to www.aaft.com]

The person responsible for Sahara’s communication, Abhijit Sarkar, confirmed that the Indian firm has received the proposal from the English giants, but did not comment further. When the Indian Times contacted Manchester United, they neither confirmed nor denied this approach, but said that they “have been in touch with a lot of sponsors and hope to strike something in the near future.” Previously, Man Utd were sponsored by Sharp in the 80s and 90s, and by Vodafone for 6 years. Their deal with current sponsors AIG is worth £14 million per season and expires in 2010. Due to the economic crisis, AIG found itself in difficulties, and this might be the reason why Man Utd have started looking for other options. This might also indicate that the Red Devils have no intention of renewing the present deal.

[picture thanks to blog.ecr.co.za]

It has been reported that the Commercial Director of Man Utd, Richard Arnold, has sent a file to the India-based company with detailed information about the proposal, and also pictures of Rooney and Ronaldo in Man Utd shirts with the Sahara logo. For obvious reasons, both parties remain silent on the details of the proposal, but if these news are true, the Red Devils would be increasing their influence among the Indians. Sahara are looking to bring Man Utd to India for a tour, and they may also open up some youth academies and soccer schools. The shirt in the picture above is the Indian cricket shirt, sponsored by Sahara. This should give us an indication of what the Red Devils shirt would look like.

Source