Inter Miami considers Qatar Airways, cruise lines, hotel chains for shirt sponsorship
A leaked photo of a stack of Inter Miami jerseys with “Qatar Airways” emblazoned across the front went viral Monday, sparking rumors that the club had signed a sponsorship deal with the airline.
But a team source said the jersey sponsorships are still being negotiated, nothing has been finalized, and that because of the team’s global reach, the club is working on jersey sponsors related to tourism companies such as airlines, cruise lines and hotel chains.
News reports from The AthleticUK and British tabloids said that Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has been in talks with the oil-rich State of Qatar and Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) about becoming the club’s official sponsor. The Sun reported that a $234 million deal was done. Qatar at one point wanted to invest in the Inter Miami ownership group, but those plans never materialized.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup, and has come under fire for allegations of bribery and human rights issues. Several human rights groups reported abuse of workers hired to build the stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup. The Qatar 2022 Committee vowed to “change working conditions in order to ensure a lasting legacy of improved worker welfare.”
Beckham has a long relationship with Qatar, dating to 2013, when he played for Paris Saint-Germain, which is owned by QSI. The Qataris have gotten increasingly involved in sports sponsorships around the world.
Qatar Airways is an “Official Partner and the Official Airline” of FIFA, the world soccer governing body. It is also the sponsor for AS Roma in Italy, Boca Juniors in Argentina, Bayern Munich in Germany, and also is the official sponsor of the Philippines Football League. From 2011 to 2016, Qatar Airways was the shirt sponsor of FC Barcelona, but in 2017, the Spanish club ended that partnership.
The airline said in a November 2019 statement that its sports sponsorships “reflect the values of sport as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s brand message — Going Places Together.”
Another connection between Qatar and Miami is that Qatari-owned beIN Sport, a global network of sports channels, has its North American headquarters in Miami. BeIN Sport owns the broadcast rights to Spain’s La Liga, France’s Ligue I, the South American Copa Libertadores tournament and the CONMEBOL (South American) World Cup qualifying matches.
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 11:22 AM.