End of an Era Puma Ends Sponsorship with Israel’s National Football Team
Puma Ends Sponsorship with Israel Football Team, Cites Strategic Shift
Puma, the German sportswear company, has announced its decision to terminate the sponsorship of Israel’s national football team by 2024. A company spokesperson clarified that the move, planned since the previous year, is not influenced by ongoing consumer boycott calls against Israel amid the Gaza war.
The decision, affecting multiple federations including Serbia and Israel, aligns with Puma’s strategy to focus on fewer, more significant partnerships. The company assured that new deals with several national teams would be announced shortly.
Boycott efforts against Puma have arisen due to its contract with the Israel Football Association (IFA) since 2018. Critics argue that the IFA includes teams based in Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal under international law.
Puma’s move reflects a broader trend of global companies facing boycott calls from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement, particularly during the recent Gaza war. The decision follows Zara’s retraction of an advertising campaign criticized for depicting scenes of suffering in Gaza, leading to calls for a boycott from pro-Palestine activists.
