Clubs signing sponsorship deals with companies is now common in the world of football. There are so many agencies and agents doing all the work between the clubs and the companies for a commision and it’s hard to keep a track of how many people are involved in this business.
However, there are a lot of people taking advantage of this occurence. Arsenal have been the latest club to be defrauded.
Reports came out suggesting that the deal was done during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Shanghai and Beijing last year. The agreement saw the Chinese firm become the Gunners’ official car and bus partner.
Arsenal did not reveal the financial details of the deal but claimed that the deal made them the first Premier League club to have signed with a electric vehicle manufacturer.
All that came down yesterday when the Chinese company revealed that the sponsorship deal was signed with the club by an unauthorised person.
BYD claims that the person who signed the contract was not authorised to sign deals with partners nor was he ever an employee of the company. Police are now investigating the said person in Shanghai.
Arsenal’s statement read: “BYD has informed Arsenal that they believe they have been the victim of a fraud in relation to various advertising agreements. This includes our partnership with BYD which was formally launched by both parties at an event at Emirates Stadium on 8th May.”
“We are investigating the situation and discussing it with senior level BYD representatives who were involved in the launch of the partnership. We will make no further comments on this matter.”
BYD also stated the Hong Kong stock exchange last week saying the seal used to stamp the unauthorised contracts must have been forged.
