FIFA World Cup Signs on China Dairy Producer Mengniu as Sponsor
- World’s most popular sports event gets fourth Chinese sponsor
- Deal comes as FIFA works to shake off bribery scandal image
Cartons of China Mengniu Dairy Co. pure milk inside a grocery store in Beijing, China
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
FIFA has signed up China’s second-largest dairy company as a sponsor for the 2018 Russia World Cup, the fourth such backer from the country as international soccer’s governing body works to overcome the tarnish from a bribery scandal.
China Mengniu Dairy Co. will become a second-tier sponsor, earning the right to broadcast a seven-minute commercial during each of the 64 World Cup matches in 2018, the Inner Mongolia-based company told reporters Wednesday in Beijing. The company joins Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Co., consumer electronics maker Hisense Group Corp. and smartphone maker Vivo as sponsors.