Sponsor ire: Shoe is on the other foot for CBA duo

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Shanghai Daily, November 3, 2016
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Some players in the Chinese Basketball Association could face punishment for not wearing official sponsor's shoes.

The CBA's exclusive marketing partner Infront has handed in a letter to the association, asking for punishment against Fujian Sturgeons player Wang Zhelin and Xinjiang Flying Tigers' Zhou Qi for violation of regulations.

According to a deal reached by Infront and sports brand Li-Ning, all CBA players (except for foreign players) have to wear Li-Ning branded shoes and sportswear on court. Violators will receive match bans.

According to the letter, Zhou was wearing shoes of a competitor's brand during pre-match warmup for Xinjiang's first CBA match of the season against the Beijing Ducks on Sunday. He was ordered to change into the sponsor's shoes before being allowed on court in the second quarter. Zhou then covered the logo of his shoes in the fourth quarter.

Wang was wearing the sponsor's shoes during Fujian's match against the Zhejiang Lions on Sunday, but had the logo covered.

The letter also pointed out that Zhou, as well as Xinjiang players Li Gen and Kyranbek were wearing socks of competitor brands during the game.

Zhou and Wang have contracts with Nike. Both complained about the shoe brand limitation through posts on Weibo, a Twitter-like site, after the match.

"I was told on court that if I don't wear the sponsor's shoes, I will be ruled a technical foul and banned from the match. Why am I deprived of the right to wear my own shoes and who shall be responsible if I get injured? I just want my foot to be protected," Zhou wrote.

The association is yet to give a response, though it had sent notices to CBA clubs as early as in July to remind players to sport the sponsor's kit in the new season.

The brand limitation started four years ago when Li-Ning was named the league's exclusive sportswear sponsor from 2013 to 2017 following a 2-billion yuan (US$295 million) investment. However, a number of CBA players have their own commercial sponsors. To seek a balance, the CBA gave 12 players the privilege to wear other brands of shoes. The number was cut down to four last year — Guangdong's Yi Jianlian, Shandong's Ding Yanyuhang as well as Wang and Zhou. From this season, which kicked off on Sunday, no such privileges are allowed.

According to regulations, players not wearing official sponsor's shoes will get a warning, and those who continue to disobey will be given a one-match ban.

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