Red Bull made its first foray into English football by purchasing a minority stake in Leeds United.
The multi-year deal will see the company become the team’s new jersey sponsor, while also becoming the team’s “exclusive energy drink partner.”
The company’s brand will also be prominently displayed on Leeds United’s Elland Road Stadium.
Red Bull has attracted controversy over previous deals with football clubs – including in Austria, where FC Red Bull Salzburg changed its name, crest and stadium name after being acquired by the company in 2005.
However, in a club statement, Leeds United said its “name and logo will remain unchanged”.
Further details of the deal, including the size of the company’s stake, were not revealed.
The move comes after the team’s recent failure to secure promotion to Premier Leaguedespite having one of the most expensive teams in the second division championship.
The club were beaten to automatic promotion by Leicester City and City of Ipswichand then lost 1-0 in last weekend’s play-off final to Southampton FC.
Leeds United players react after missing out on promotion to the Premier League. Photo: PA
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Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe said: “I’m thrilled that Red Bull is joining us to build a bright future for Leeds United and shares our deep respect for this truly special club…
“The addition of Red Bull is a historic milestone that will further enable the club to reach its full competitive potential.”
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Red Bull said it was “very pleased to be an important player and partner of Leeds United” and said it hoped the club would achieve promotion to the Premier League soon.
Its chief executive of corporate projects, Oliver Mintzlaff, said: “We look forward to the partnership and are optimistic and energized about the future.”
The move further expands the energy drink giant’s sporting interests, which include the successful Red Bull F1 Racing team and its sister team RBF1.
Alongside a number of ice hockey and extreme sports teams, they have also invested in German football team RB Leipzig, American team New York Red Bulls, as well as Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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