End of partnerships?
Scandal about Djokovic and loss of image: That’s what his sponsors say about the Australian debacle
Tennis star Novak Djokovic wears a shirt by the fashion group Lacoste. The label wanted to “get in touch with Novak Djokovic as soon as possible,” it said star With.
© Tess Derry/PA Wire / DPA
Novak Djokovic is back in his native Serbia. Previously, his visa was canceled after he was initially refused entry because of his vaccination status. Djokovic’s sponsors have so far kept a low profile on the case. There are consequences there.
Novak Djokovic’s Australian odyssey has come to an end: the Serbian tennis star has arrived in Belgrade after being forced to leave Australia. The plane with the 34-year-old landed in the capital of his home country on Monday afternoon, the AP news agency reported. Djokovic started from Dubai on Monday morning.
Djokovic, who was not vaccinated against the corona virus, wanted to take part in the Grand Slam tournament with a medical exemption, but the authorities had refused him entry.
The world number one left Melbourne on Sunday evening after Australia’s federal court rejected his appeal against the visa annulment. There had previously been a sensational dispute with the government over corona entry restrictions. His hopes for the tenth title at the Australian Open ended one day before the tournament started.
Lacoste wants to get in touch with Djokovic “as soon as possible”.
Djokovic actually wanted to defend his title at the Australian Open and set a new record with the 21st Grand Slam title. He now faces a three-year entry ban in Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a radio interview after Djokovic’s departure that “a very clear message” had been sent. However, he hinted that Djokovic could also return to Australia before the three-year deadline ‘given the right circumstances’.
The affair about his supposed special treatment not only harmed the Australian government, but also the image of the tennis player. Discussions about Djokovic and his entry as well as his vaccination status dominated the headlines worldwide. Does this also affect his sponsorships and partnerships with big brands?
For example, Novak Djokovic works with Raiffeisen Bank International, Peugeot, Lacoste and the Watch manufacturer Hublot together.
For example, Djokovic has one with the fashion label Lacoste own collection. “Clothes that balance elegance and performance” is how his collection is described, which includes polo shirts, shorts, sunglasses and peaked caps.
the star asked Lacoste whether the cooperation with the tennis star is now being reconsidered or even terminated. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the French fashion group said: “We will be in touch with Novak Djokovic as soon as possible to review the events that have accompanied his presence in Australia.” The other participants are wished an “excellent tournament”.
Raiffeisen Bank has an advertising partnership with Novak Djokovic
Djokovic is also a partner at the Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI). There he is the brand ambassador for RBI and its subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe, as in a press release last year’s bank was called. RBI also supports Djokovic’s tennis academy in Belgrade. “We have very similar values, so we believe our partnership is a perfect fit,” said RBI CEO Johann Strobl at the time.
The term of the cooperation is therefore three years with an option to extend it. The partnership includes commercials, social media activities and participation in “selected RBI Group events”.
“We have agreed on a multi-year partnership with Novak Djokovic due to his high reputation in Central and Eastern Europe, which he enjoys due to his outstanding sporting successes and his social commitment,” said a spokeswoman star-demand with. The decision to work together was made long before “the current reporting about Novak Djokovic and his Covid-19 vaccination status, or his participation in the Australian Open”. No one wanted to comment further.
Experts: Companies could withdraw
“It may be that companies are now considering whether to extend the contract with him or even terminate it. Certain contracts have a special right of termination for such things. There is a risk,” said Marcel Hüttermann, the Swiss sports marketing expert “Trade Newspaper”. As one of the most successful tennis players in the world, Djokovic is a good advertising figure. However, “Djokovic is someone you can rub against. If you hire him as an advertising medium, you take a risk.”
Christian Lang, head of the Competence Center for Sport Management & Entertainment at the University of St. Gallen, told Swiss radio SRF in an interview that it could well be that the Serb could suffer considerable economic losses after his sporting career. He would not apply the saying “bad press is good press” to Djokovic. “The current headlines will damage his reputation and it is therefore possible that individual sponsors will withdraw. Sporting achievements alone are no longer enough these days. Athletes also have a social responsibility. Djokovic did not live up to this responsibility in the most recent case.”
Sports marketing expert Hüttermann sees it a little differently: “It remains to be seen how the whole controversy develops. It is possible that certain sponsors will withdraw. But Djokovic could also gain new sponsors who find him interesting.”