Internazionale players wearing "Pirelli" in Chinese on their jerseys

Italian tyre maker Pirelli becomes the new CSL title sponsor this Friday after signing a three-year sponsorship deal with Chinese Football Association. “We’re satisfied with Pirelli’s offer and their brand will help boost CSL’s image,” said Zhang Lu, vice president of Beijing Guo’an club, who helped facilitate the deal. The deal was reportedly worth 5 million euros (US $ 6.78 million) yearly but details remain undisclosed by the two parties.

Pirelli is the primary sponsor of the Italian football club Internazionale, or Inter Milan. The company launched a plant in China’s Shandong province in 2005 for the production of radial truck tyres. Since then, Inter players had begun to wear jerseys with “倍耐力” – Pirelli’s name in mandarin Chinese – four times each season to better market the Italian brand. “The world, as we know, is suffering an economic crisis but we are very optimistic about China’s situation,” said Giuseppe Cattaneo, CEO at Pirelli Tyre China Co. Ltd.

Chinese Super League is back on CCTV this year, after a three-match ban since last November for on-field fighting and club withdrawals caused by FA’s poor management. The league suffered greatly all these years by match-fixing, bribing and underground gambling. CFA told press early this month that judiciary professionals will join its regulatory bureau to help clean up cancers in the league.

The new 2009 seasonn of CSL will begin from today on March 21.

Photo: inter.it

Previously:

• Horse Lottery, Gambling and Chinese Football
• Chinese Super League Unbanned by CCTV
• Beijing to Stage International Football Festival This Summer

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