French Ligue 1 football club Metz has agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Force Glass, a manufacturer of smartphone screen protectors, after electing to suspend a previous agreement.
The partnership began with Metz’s heavy 5-0 defeat at Monaco on Saturday and runs until the end of the season.
Force Glass’s branding featured on the front of the team’s jerseys against Monaco and will occupy the same space for this Saturday’s home game against Nantes. Thereafter, its logo will appear on the back of Metz’s shirts.
Force Glass is a subsidiary of video game and mobile phone accessories company Bigben Interactive, a long-time partner of Metz.
The agreement temporarily brings to an end Metz’s association with the Chad Tourist Office, the official travel authority for the African nation, which had served as the team’s shirt sponsor.
Metz said it suspended its deal with the organisation after it encountered “serious difficulties” in meeting certain contractual payment deadlines. Metz, which partnered with the body at the start of the 2016-17 season, said it would remain in discussion with the organisation in the hope of reaching an “amicable solution”.
Metz is currently 16th in Ligue 1 after 24 games of the 2016-17 season.