The transfer, deliberate since final yr, is unrelated to boycott calls towards Israel amid the Gaza conflict, the corporate says.
Sports activities model Puma will cease sponsoring Israel’s nationwide soccer staff in 2024, in response to an organization spokesperson.
The transfer was deliberate since final yr and isn’t associated to shopper boycott calls towards Israel amid the Gaza conflict, the spokesperson for the German sportswear agency mentioned on Tuesday.
Puma has lengthy confronted boycott calls over its model alliance with the Israel Soccer Affiliation (IFA), however such calls have intensified throughout Israel’s two-month offensive in Gaza, which has killed greater than 18,000 Palestinians.
In a press release emailed to the Reuters information company, a Puma spokesperson mentioned the corporate’s contracts with a number of federations, together with Serbia and Israel, have been as a consequence of expire in 2024 and wouldn’t be renewed.
The spokesperson mentioned Puma would quickly announce offers with a number of new nationwide groups, as a part of its “fewer-bigger-better technique”.
An inside Puma memo considered by the Financial Times, which first reported the information, additionally confirmed the shake-up.
The memo mentioned Puma would proceed to “consider all different present partnerships in addition to another upcoming alternatives to make sure we’ve a powerful roster of nationwide groups”, the newspaper reported.
Puma first signed its contract with the IFA to offer equipment to gamers in 2018.
Since then, the corporate has confronted boycott calls from activists, who say the IFA additionally contains groups based mostly in Jewish-only settlements within the occupied West Financial institution, that are unlawful beneath worldwide legislation.
World companies supportive of Israel have confronted rising boycott calls by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) motion earlier than and throughout the Gaza conflict.
Earlier this week, trend firm Zara pulled an advertising campaign from its web site after it drew a backlash for showing to imitate scenes of struggling in Gaza and sparked boycott calls from pro-Palestine activists.