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Manchester United have withdrawn their sponsorship with Russia’s National Airline - Aeroflot amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Club has put forward a statement saying, “In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot’s sponsorship rights. We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected.”
Aeroflot had been a commercial partner of the Red Devils since 2013. The club then renewed the deal in 2015, signing a five-year extension reported to be worth $40m (£29.9m). The current deal with Aeroflot was supposed to last till 2023. Until the withdrawal, the club's official website said “the airlines provide strategic advice on the team’s travel arrangements, alongside providing charter services whenever suitable.”
United regularly used Aeroflot to travel to European games but they changed their travel plans for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, as they flew to the Spanish with a charter airline called Titan Airways which is a British Airline.
Prime minister Boris Johnson informed the House of Commons that Aeroflot will be inevitably banned from entering their aeroplanes in the UK as part of the “largest and most severe” package of sanctions the UK has imposed on Russia to punish the “blood-stained aggressor” Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.
Similarly, other sports teams have withdrawn their relations with Russian Companies citing the invasion in Ukraine. The German football club Schalke have decided to replace their logo of sponsor 'Gazprom' on their shirts for an indeterminate period. They also announced their jery would say ‘Schalke 04’. The club’s statement reported, “Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts. It will be replaced by lettering reading ‘Schalke 04’ instead.”
American Formula One team HAAS has also decided to remove the Russian Flag’s colours from their cars’ livery. The team sent out a statement that said, “Haas F1 Team will present its VF-22 in a plain white livery, minus Uralkali branding, for the third and final day of track running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.”
“Nikita Mazepin will drive as planned in the morning session with Mick Schumacher taking over in the afternoon,” in Catalonia on Thursday.
