Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is in talks with Fifa over becoming a top-tier sponsor of football’s world governing body, according to the Bloomberg news agency, confirming a story that appeared in March's issue of Sports Sponsorship Insider.
Details of any proposed deal between the two parties have not been disclosed. A spokeswoman for the Alibaba Sports division of the company told Bloomberg that it approached Fifa due to its existing partnership with the body’s Club World Cup tournament.
Alibaba E-Auto, the car manufacturing brand of Alibaba Group, in December secured a long-term partnership deal with Fifa for the annual Club World Cup. The presenting partnership will run for eight years, from 2015 to 2022.
Should an additional deal be reached, Alibaba would become the second Chinese firm to become a top-tier partner of Fifa after the Wanda Group conglomerate in March became the first company to partner with the body since Gianni Infantino replaced Sepp Blatter as president.
Wanda’s agreement with the body grants it the highest level of sponsorship rights across a cycle which includes the next four editions of the World Cup – a tournament that China has set its sights on hosting in the future as it looks to become a major player in world football.
Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin in March said that he expected more Chinese firms to partner with Fifa. “Probably more Chinese companies will join the Fifa sponsor club,” he said, according to state news agency Xinhua. “And, I think, it will boost China’s chances of winning the (World Cup) hosting rights if the Chinese government decides to bid for it.”
Wanda joined Adidas, Coca-Cola, Gazprom, Hyundai and Visa as top-tier Fifa Partners, leaving two slots currently unoccupied.