German sportswear giant Puma has terminated their deal with Israel’s national football team as announced by the company on Tuesday (Dec 12). The decision comes two months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war which was triggered on October 7. There have been renewed calls for consumer boycotts, as Israel continues its assault on Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks. However, Puma has rejected any such claims and stated that the decision was taken a year ago.

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Puma terminates deal with Israel football team

According to an internal note seen by the Financial Times, Puma will stop providing kits to the war-prone nation from 2024. This would mean the national team could be without a sponsor for the Euro 2024 if they qualify for the continental showpiece. Israel will face Iceland in the semifinals of the Euro Playoff round while a win could see them play the winner of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine with the latter two meeting in the other semifinal contest.

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Puma has been accused of supporting the settlements of Israel in the West Bank which is largely considered illegal. However, responding to the allegations Puma has rejected any such claims while also stating that they decided to terminate the kit deal a year ago. Initially, the deal was signed in 2018 and triggered a boycott campaign from the activists as Puma was accused of supporting Israeli settlements.

Puma’s big-money deals

Puma has already been on the receiving end of losing big-partnership deals having lost the rights of Italian national football team. Puma were the sponsors for the defending European champions in 2021 when they beat England in the final; however, in 2022 another German giant Adidas won the bid to sponsor the Italian national team.

Currently, Puma sponsors Serbia, Switzerland, Ghana and FIFA World Cup semifinalists Morocco at the national level. However, their biggest deal at the club level comes with European champions Manchester City with them winning the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League last season. They are also the sponsors of AC Milan and German football giants Borussia Dortmund.

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