Denmark: Carlsberg to strike �32 million 4-year sponsorship deal with England team

Carlsberg is poised to take up the new headline sponsorship package for the England football team as it looks to renew its long-standing association with the Football Association, Brand Republic posted August 11.

Negotiations over the four-year deal are close to completion, with the contract estimated to be worth more than £32 million.

Carlsberg will join utilities brand E.ON, which is backing the FA Cup, as the FA's top-tier sponsors, in a revamp of its commercial structure unveiled at the turn of the year. The existing FA packages expire at the end of the World Cup.

Carlsberg is likely to be joined by McDonald's on the sponsor roster, with the fast-food brand putting the finishing touches to a renewal deal for a second-tier package with responsibility for grass-roots programmes and the Community Shield.

FA commercial director Jonathan Hill said: “We are in detailed negotiations with a number of sponsors regarding the remaining packages and will announce details in August.”

Carlsberg shares were down 2 points at 450.5 on August 23 at 10.28 am, according to an AFX release. The brewery group is prepared to spend DKR15-20 billion on new acquisitions or investments should the right option arise, its chief executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen told daily Jyllands-Posten.