A proposed £42.5 million sponsorship deal between Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and South Africa’s tourism board has been scrapped after the deal was met with public uproar.
According to Sport Business Journal, the planned sponsorship of the Premier League club “sparked public outrage in a nation currently impacted by power blackouts and water shortages.”
South African Tourism (SAT) had conditionally approved a deal that would have “included kit branding, interview backdrop branding, match-day advertising, training camps in South Africa as well as free access to tickets and stadium hospitality.”
However, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu indicated that she “had no knowledge of the proposed deal.” Scrapping the deal is a “blow to Tottenham’s attempts to further grow their commercial revenues.” Tottenham have been sponsored by Hong Kong insurance firm AIA since 2013, and their partnership was extended until the end of the 2026-27 season three years ago.
