The economic crisis in Greece has forced two amateur soccer teams to seek unusual sponsors in the shape of a brothel and an undertakers.
“When we announced to the players that our sponsor would be a brothel, they wanted to know about bonuses,” Voukefala president Giannis Batziolas told NovaSport FM radio station on Wednesday with humor.
NO CHOICE
Batziolas said that everyone had turned their backs on amateur soccer and that the club had no choice but to resort to an unconventional backer.
“The proposal was made strictly for economic reasons. As soon as the offer was made, we couldn’t turn it down,” Baziolas said.
He said that the brothel in question was “a legal enterprise valued at 2 million euros [US$2.6 million].”
Baziolas said that the brothel would be advertised on the players’ jerseys throughout the season.
As for Paleopyrgo, the situation is the same, with a lack of funds forcing the team to make a deal with the local funeral home.
MATTER OF SURVIVAL
“It was a matter of survival. The owner of the funeral home is a friend and we agreed,” Paleopyrgo general manager and player Lefteris Vasiliou told NovaSport FM. “The previous season was very difficult for us with the economic crisis. We did not have a sponsor for the last three years.”
For this season, the team’s players will be wearing black jerseys with a large cross in the center bearing the name of the new sponsor.
“I showed the players the jersey and they liked it. We now have people requesting us to produce more jerseys,” Vasiliou said.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
RSS