A flag of Chile. That is what the Nike logo now covers on the jerseys worn by the national team during the Copa América that takes place between June 13 and July 10 in Brazil.
In the game against Bolivia, in which the Chilean team won 1-0, the players jumped onto the field covering the brand of the American multinational, which is in charge of manufacturing the clothing of the entire team.
For their part, the team’s coaches and staff covered the brand on their jerseys and pants with adhesive tape, as local media showed.
Two years ago, at the 2019 Copa América, Chile wore the characteristic Nike stamp on the right of the chest.
And they also wore it in the opening match, which they played against Argentina in this 2021 Copa América.
But things have changed now.
Everything indicates that the famous sportswear brand decided to break with the National Professional Football Association for an alleged breach of contract.
According to the newspaper La Tercera, Nike demanded to cancel the contract signed in 2015, which gave the team US $ 7 million a year.
The firm argued that Chile had not complied with the 10 games that the national team had to play per season.
The red one was almost a year without playing due to the social protests that broke out in Chile as of October 18, 2019, and then due to the covid-19 pandemic.
For its part, the federation took the signature to the courts in March for the non-payment of some US $ 6 million agreed for the 2019-2020 period.
The national team will now have to look for a new sponsor, although it was halfway through the Copa América, one of the most important events for the national team, it doesn’t seem like the best time.
Group leader together with Argentina
The players, however, remain on the sidelines of the federation’s decision-making and continue to advance in the first phase of the Copa América.
Argentina and Chile lead group A with 4 points each.
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay face off in the group.
While the B is made up of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
In the game that faced the red with Bolivia, Ben Brereton, born in England, stood out.
He was the scorer of the only goal in the match played at the Arena Pantanal stadium, in the city of Cuiabá, in eastern Brazil.
The 22-year-old forward, the son of an English father and a Chilean mother, made his debut for the national team last Monday when he jumped off the bench in the match in which Chile and Argentina drew.
The young footballer, who has played his entire career in the English league, was in the right place at the right moment when he finished off a counterattack from his team with a right hand and opened the scoring at minute 9.
A goal that defined the Chilean victory.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-57538495, IMPORTING DATE: 2021-06-19 17:50:05
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