German automotive giant Volkswagen has renewed its sponsorship of the country’s DFB-Pokal club football knockout competition.
Volkswagen and the German Football Association (DFB) have agreed a six-season extension of their partnership. The new deal, which will see Volkswagen retain its title as an official partner of the tournament, will run until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Volkswagen has been in partnership with the DFB-Pokal since 2012. The company’s position as a major sponsor within the world of sport has been called into question since it admitted in September to cheating diesel emission tests on its vehicles in the United States.
Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that it would not be extending its partnership with Schalke when its agreement with the Bundesliga club expires at the end of the 2015-16 season.
“Football is and remains an important pillar of our sponsoring strategy,” Thomas Dental, sales and marketing director at Volkswagen Germany, said after today’s (Monday’s) announcement of the company’s new deal with the DFB-Pokal.
Volkswagen’s renewal comes after insurance group Ergo last week agreed a three-season deal, starting from the 2016-17 campaign, to become an official partner of the DFB-Pokal.