Vodafone drops threat to scrap logo from cricket shirts
Cricket sponsor Vodafone has backed down over a threat to remove its logo from the England team’s shirts during the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa.
Earlier in the month Vodafone threatened to pull out of the controversial World Cup in South Africa due to conflict with official tournament sponsor MTN, a South African mobile phone service.
But the gesture was interpreted as a political move against the English and Welsh Cricket Board’s decision to play in the tournament, contrary to the wishes of the British Government.
Vodafone has in the past been involved in the Ashes, which has featured rival Orange.
The company was believed to be uneasy about its brand featuring in the tournament, which has become the subject of national debate.
A Vodafone spokeswoman claims the issue was purely to do with conflict: “The decision [about the shirt] has been taken by the ECB and ICC.”
The news comes in the week that Vodafone released better than expected customer figures, including a 4 million hike in customer numbers to 112.5 million worldwide. MTN was unavailable for comment as Marketing Week went to press.
