French Ligue 1 club Marseille has announced a new sponsorship deal with food delivery giants Uber Eats.
The agreement will see Uber Eats becoming Marseille’s main shirt sponsor for the next three years at least, replacing telecoms organisation Orange. However, Orange will continue as the naming rights partner of Stade Velodrome, Marseille’s home venue.
Uber Eats is an international food delivery service created by the taxi group, Uber.
In June, Uber Eats confirmed that it will be the new title partner for Ligue 1, the top tier in French professional football, from the start of the 2020/21 season, taking over from current sponsors Conforama.
Speaking about the deal, Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud said: “We welcome Uber Eats with enthusiasm and ambition, eager to put at their disposal all our passion, creativity and flexibility. At OM, we rely on our partners to grow and progress together, to experience the common emotions that only football can generate.
“Uber Eats has a lot in common with OM, including its clear digital orientation, a permanent innovation and the desire to communicate with a young audience. We hope this is the beginning of a long and exciting adventure.”
On behalf of Uber Eats, Stephane Ficaja, the company’s general manager for western and southern Europe, added: “Through this partnership, we want to offer new experiences to all fans of football and OM, and be part of their daily lives by signing up for the long term.
“We warmly thank Olympique de Marseille for choosing us and trusting us to accompany them over the next three years in the internationalisation and digitisation of the club.”
Marseille’s new kits will be available to purchase from late July/early August with the Uber Eats name and logo on the front. However, it’s unclear if the club’s fanbase will take to the deal after some started a Twitter protest in opposition to the arrangement.