The German sportswear brand, Nike has terminated its partnership with the Russian Premier League club, Spartak Moscow. The reason behind this move is the club’s exclusion from the next edition of European competitions.
Due to Russia’s military invasion in Ukraine, UEFA, the regulatory body of European football, declared that Russian teams won’t be competing in its major competitions in the 2022-23 season.
Following UEFA’s decision to stop all Russian clubs from competing, Nike told Spartak that it would no longer be the club’s shirt sponsor.
Spartak Moscow, which has been backed by Nike since 2005, announced that it was searching for a new equipment supplier since the German brand’s exit.
Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig had their Europa League quarterfinal matches canceled off in February.
On February 24, Russia dispatched thousands of soldiers into Ukraine in a ‘special operation’ to weaken its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and weed out ‘dangerous nationalists’. In reaction, the West imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia and offered military backing to Ukraine, which currently is in a state of turmoil.